Illinois Legal Deserts: Law Offices by County
20 of Illinois’s 102 counties (20%) have fewer than three law offices with paid employees, according to 2023 Census data. 157,963 people live in them. Nationally, 27% of counties fall below that line.
Part of Lawbamba’s national legal deserts study, based on U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns.
What stands out in Illinois
- The most populous county with fewer than three law offices is Carroll County, home to 15,492 people.
- Statewide, law offices fell 12% between 2013 and 2023 (counting areas with three or more). 9 counties dropped below three law offices over that decade.
Law offices in every Illinois county
Sorted from fewest law offices to most. “Fewer than 3” means Census reports 0, 1 or 2. 2013 uses the same cutoff.
| Area | Law offices 2023 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|
| Carroll County | Fewer than 3 | 4 |
| Moultrie County | Fewer than 3 | 4 |
| Cass County | Fewer than 3 | 3 |
| Mason County | Fewer than 3 | 3 |
| Marshall County | Fewer than 3 | 4 |
| Greene County | Fewer than 3 | 3 |
| Cumberland County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Jasper County | Fewer than 3 | 3 |
| Brown County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Henderson County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Edwards County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Putnam County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Stark County | Fewer than 3 | 4 |
| Pulaski County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Scott County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Alexander County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Gallatin County | Fewer than 3 | 3 |
| Calhoun County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Pope County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Hardin County | Fewer than 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Logan County | 3 | 7 |
| Shelby County | 3 | 7 |
| Douglas County | 3 | 8 |
| Bond County | 3 | 3 |
| Mercer County | 3 | 5 |
| White County | 3 | 6 |
| Johnson County | 3 | Fewer than 3 |
| Ford County | 3 | 3 |
| Menard County | 3 | 5 |
| Hamilton County | 3 | 3 |
| Schuyler County | 3 | 4 |
| Clinton County | 4 | 6 |
| Lee County | 4 | 7 |
| Fayette County | 4 | 6 |
| Hancock County | 4 | 5 |
| Union County | 4 | 4 |
| Wayne County | 4 | 5 |
| Richland County | 4 | 8 |
| Clark County | 4 | 5 |
| Lawrence County | 4 | 6 |
| Pike County | 4 | 4 |
| Massac County | 4 | 3 |
| Washington County | 4 | 4 |
| Jersey County | 5 | 5 |
| Crawford County | 5 | 9 |
| Piatt County | 5 | 5 |
| Clay County | 5 | 5 |
| Macoupin County | 6 | 11 |
| Woodford County | 6 | 8 |
| Bureau County | 6 | 10 |
| Edgar County | 6 | 7 |
| De Witt County | 6 | 7 |
| Wabash County | 6 | 7 |
| Christian County | 7 | 12 |
| Morgan County | 7 | 7 |
| Fulton County | 7 | 10 |
| Montgomery County | 7 | 10 |
| Jo Daviess County | 7 | 10 |
| Boone County | 8 | 12 |
| Randolph County | 8 | 12 |
| McDonough County | 8 | 8 |
| Iroquois County | 8 | 6 |
| Perry County | 8 | 5 |
| Warren County | 8 | 8 |
| Ogle County | 9 | 19 |
| Effingham County | 10 | 10 |
| Henry County | 11 | 18 |
| Monroe County | 11 | 14 |
| Saline County | 11 | 15 |
| Stephenson County | 12 | 18 |
| Marion County | 12 | 16 |
| Knox County | 13 | 22 |
| Livingston County | 13 | 14 |
| Grundy County | 14 | 19 |
| Coles County | 14 | 21 |
| Vermilion County | 17 | 30 |
| Whiteside County | 17 | 19 |
| Franklin County | 18 | 16 |
| Jefferson County | 18 | 20 |
| Kendall County | 19 | 18 |
| Kankakee County | 20 | 35 |
| Adams County | 23 | 27 |
| DeKalb County | 25 | 37 |
| Jackson County | 26 | 33 |
| Tazewell County | 32 | 40 |
| Williamson County | 32 | 39 |
| Macon County | 35 | 49 |
| LaSalle County | 46 | 57 |
| Rock Island County | 47 | 65 |
| Champaign County | 61 | 78 |
| McLean County | 75 | 85 |
| Sangamon County | 83 | 104 |
| Peoria County | 105 | 128 |
| St. Clair County | 119 | 151 |
| Winnebago County | 122 | 155 |
| McHenry County | 124 | 132 |
| Madison County | 138 | 183 |
| Will County | 180 | 181 |
| Kane County | 225 | 237 |
| Lake County | 347 | 355 |
| DuPage County | 641 | 695 |
| Cook County | 3,945 | 4,328 |
Need a lawyer in Illinois?
Lawyers licensed in Illinois can usually take cases anywhere in the state, and many offer phone or video consultations. Browse Illinois lawyers on Lawbamba.
About this data
Law offices are establishments in NAICS 541110 (Offices of Lawyers) with at least one paid employee, from the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns. Solo lawyers with no staff and government lawyers are not counted. Self-employed legal businesses come from Census Nonemployer Statistics (NAICS 5411) and also include paralegal, notary and title services. Population is the July 1, 2023 Census estimate. See the full methodology or download the data for every county (CSV). Free to reuse with credit to Lawbamba and a link to this page.