State

Illinois

Illinois has a quality-of-life score of 44 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #29 of 51 US states. It ranks best on distance to an emergency room (low), public transit commuters (high) and suicide rate (low). It ranks worst on effective property tax rate (high), new homes permitted (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high).

44Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #29 of 51 states
Population: 12,719,141 (2025)
Land area: 55,514 mi²
Density: 229.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 17

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 80 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map Federal contracts here

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US states.

Safety60#21/51
Economy52#25/51
Housing46#28/51
Health60#21/51
Healthcare58#22/51
Environment13#43/49
Education46#28/51
Infrastructure46#28/51
Community48#27/51
Leisure & amenities42#30/51

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Illinois ranks highest and lowest among US states (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Distance to an emergency room · low4.0 mi
92/100United States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Public transit commuters · high5.8%
92/100United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Suicide rate · low11.7 /100k
84/100United States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Firearm deaths · low10.5 /100k
82/100United States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Home price to income ratio · low3.2×
82/100United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Depression · low20.3%
82/100United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high1.88%
2/100United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
New homes permitted · low1.5 /1k
2/100United States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.8 µg/m³
10/100United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · high3,343 /100k
12/100United States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
High ozone days · high5 days
15/100United States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Average commute time · high27.8 min
16/100United States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureWorsening
8% (2021) → 37% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+29 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
28.2 /100k (2021) → 14.2 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−50%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
11.7 /100k (2021) → 6.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−47%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
22.9% (Dec 2021) → 31.5% (Aug 2026)
+8.6 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.7% (2015-2019) → 90.8% (2020-2024)
+8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Adult obesityWorsening
31.5% (2019) → 39.0% (2023)
+7.5 pts4 yearsUS 32.1% → 38.2%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Illinois improved on 17 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 7 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among states: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved17

Commute−1.4 min29.2 min → 27.8 min
Firearm deaths−23%13.6 /100k → 10.5 /100k
Unemployment−4.7 points9.3% → 4.6%
Students / teacher−1.1×14.7× → 13.6×
Homicides−42%10.6 /100k → 6.2 /100k

Declined5

Transit use−3.6 points9.5% → 5.8%
Traffic deaths+20%8.2 /100k → 9.8 /100k
Suicides+10%10.6 /100k → 11.7 /100k
Pharmacies−7.3%2.1 /10k → 1.9 /10k
Price / income+0.2×3.0× → 3.2×

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Illinois between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.2 /10k2020	4.8 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	44%
Average commute time	29.2 min2015-2019	27.8 min2020-2024	−1.4 min	Improved	93%
Average weekly wage	$1,2752020	$1,5392025	+21%	Improved	19%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.7%2015-2019	37.8%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Improved	40%
Broadband subscriptions	82.7%2015-2019	90.8%2020-2024	+8 points	Improved	44%
Child poverty rate	15.6%2019	14.1%2024	−1.5 points	Improved	63%
Distance to an airport	35 mi2020	35 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	51%
Drug overdose deaths	26.5 /100k2020	14.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−46%	Improved	81%
Effective property tax rate	2.05%2015-2019	1.88%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	64%
Firearm deaths	13.6 /100k2020	10.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−23%	Improved	91%
Grocery stores	1.9 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	−3.9%	Within the margin of error	23%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.1 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+0.3%	Within the margin of error	11%
High school diploma or higher	89.2%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Improved	40%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.2×	Declined	95%
Homicide rate	10.6 /100k2020	6.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−42%	Improved	79%
Income adjusted for local prices	$58,0562019	$74,5532024	+28%	Improved	11%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4822015-2019	0.4812020-2024	−0.001	Within the margin of error	70%
Median household income	$69,2122019	$83,3272024	+20%	Improved	15%
New business applications	13.3 /1k2020	14.9 /1k2025	+12%	Improved	11%
Pharmacies	2.1 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	−7.3%	Declined	56%
Poverty rate	11.4%2019	11.5%2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−0.5%	Within the margin of error	81%
Public transit commuters	9.5%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Declined	9%
Rent as share of income	29.1%2015-2019	29.1%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Rent-burdened households	48.0%2015-2019	47.9%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Restaurants and bars	10.0 /10k2020	10.3 /10k2025	+3%	Improved	64%
Students per teacher	14.7×2019	13.6×2024	−1.1×	Improved	72%
Suicide rate	10.6 /100k2020	11.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+10%	Declined	13%
Traffic deaths	8.2 /100k2015-2019	9.8 /100k2020-2024	+20%	Declined	7%
Unemployment rate	9.3%2020	4.6%2025	−4.7 points	Improved	87%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.7%2019	8.1%2024	−0.6 points	Improved	43%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 51 states that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 51 states that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

States like Illinois five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Illinois in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Illinois itself moved +2.8 points in standing on average over the same 31 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

12,694,798 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,036,449 households (±8,009)

Illinois
United States share

Under $25k15%734,400
$25k–50k16%806,092
$50k–75k15%747,716

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,036,449 households (±8,009)

Illinois
United States share

Own67%3,378,910
Rent33%1,657,539

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+1.0 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

6,152,715 workers (±13,241)

Illinois
United States share

Drive alone66%4,051,863
Carpool7.8%479,801
Public transit5.8%358,398

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Illinois employ 1,339,720 people. 7 pay a median above the US median and 3 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Illinois by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand195,390 jobs	195,390	$40,550US $40,240	+1%	1.69×
General and Operations Managers171,300 jobs	171,300	$103,570US $105,770	−2%	1.25×
Cashiers139,630 jobs	139,630	$34,490US $32,880	+5%	1.15×
Registered Nurses138,910 jobs	138,910	$95,990US $97,550	−2%	1.05×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides134,100 jobs	134,100	$38,060US $35,800	+6%	0.79×
Fast Food and Counter Workers127,590 jobs	127,590	$33,910US $31,200	+9%	0.84×
Retail Salespersons126,610 jobs	126,610	$35,370US $35,410	0%	0.83×
Stockers and Order Fillers109,240 jobs	109,240	$37,680US $37,330	+1%	0.98×
Customer Service Representatives100,970 jobs	100,970	$46,130US $44,770	+3%	0.99×
Office Clerks, General95,980 jobs	95,980	$45,730US $45,010	+2%	0.99×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Illinois.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Illinois has 322,415 employer establishments, 255 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248), with 5,661,761 paid employees at an average annual pay of $72,398. The Census Bureau also counts 1,160,612 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 322,415; 1,160,612 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 255; US 248
Paid employees: 5,661,761
Average annual pay: $72,398; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Illinois by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	27,153	21.5	1.03×About typical	300,155	$74,793	48,964
Restaurants and other eating places	23,334	18.5	1.01×About typical	413,060	$24,994	5,754
Specialty trade contractors	18,685	14.8	0.96×About typical	153,878	$87,013	57,518
Truck transportation	15,020	11.9	2.35×More than typical	86,658	$63,561	64,413
Lessors of real estate	12,121	9.6	0.78×Fewer than typical	58,642	$79,803	100,307
Limited-service restaurants	10,622	8.4	1.05×About typical	189,552	$21,107	2,178
Full-service restaurants	9,928	7.9	1.02×About typical	188,628	$29,404	2,443
Construction of buildings	9,565	7.6	1.00×About typical	46,149	$85,274	39,060
Offices of other health practitioners	9,182	7.3	1.20×About typical	55,014	$49,739	20,860
Services to buildings and dwellings	8,708	6.9	1.02×About typical	82,506	$44,313	57,033
Management, scientific and technical consulting	8,323	6.6	0.98×About typical	105,175	$133,178	40,685
Offices of physicians	7,503	5.9	0.92×About typical	109,540	$108,179	8,101

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,633,389 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $10.8B on contracts performed in Illinois: $849 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $10.8B; −13% vs FY2025
Per resident: $849; US $1,994
Sole-source: 13%; US 30%
Single offer: 16%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

W S DARLEY & CO$1.3B12%
UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC$1.2B11%
MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, LP$942.2M8.7%
FERMI FORWARD DISCOVERY GROUP, LLC$774.3M7.2%
NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION$575.3M5.3%

Spending by fiscal year

9.5BFY2017
10.8BFY2018
10.4BFY2019
11.7BFY2020
12BFY2021
13.6BFY2022
13BFY2023
13.4B

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$2.1B19%
Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers · 4234$1.2B11%
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers · 4238$898.1M8.3%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$730M6.8%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$552.2M5.1%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345

Largest awards

PERFORMANCE-BASED CONTRACT FOR MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY$17.6B
UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC· DuPage County, IL· Facilities & utilities· Oct 27, 2016 – Sep 29, 2026· DEAC0206CH11357
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATING CONTRACT FOR THE FERMI NATIONAL ACCELERATOR LABORATORY (FNAL)$2.5B
FERMI FORWARD DISCOVERY GROUP, LLC· Kane County, IL· Facilities & utilities· Sep 30, 2024 – Sep 29, 2026· 89243024CSC000002
FOOD SERVICE LABOR$841.4M
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN, INC.· Lake County, IL· Facilities & utilities· Sep 25, 2018 – Jun 8, 2026· N0018918CZ053
DON LAIRCM FY22 PRODUCTION WRA, ASSOCIATED SEPM, AND TECHNICAL STUDIES. THIS CONTRACT ALSO ESTABLISHES OPTION YEAR 1 CLINS FOR FY23 DON LAIRCM PRODUCTION WRAS AND ASSOCIATED SEPM

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Explore contracts in Illinois

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $118.3B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Illinois: $9,298 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $118.3B; −3.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9,298; US $12,955
Loan face value: $8.9B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.6%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$44.8B38%
93.778 · Grants to States for Medicaid$24.5B21%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$4.7B4.0%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$4.3B3.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$4B3.4%
10.551 · Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program$3.5B2.9%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$3B2.5%
93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$2.8B2.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHCARE & FAMILY SERVICES$25.4B21%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICE$5.4B4.6%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION$2.7B2.2%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$2.4B2.1%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
CHICAGO HOUSING AUTHORITY

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$55.7B47%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$33B28%
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Nutrition Service$5B4.2%
Department of Agriculture
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$4.9B4.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

129BFY2021
104.3BFY2022
145BFY2023
114.4BFY2024
122.2BFY2025
118.3BFY2026

County aggregates

58%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Illinois

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

Federal money per resident in Illinois, and how its outcomes moved, each next to the United States. Counties whose money jumped are compared on their own pages.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Illinois
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Illinois and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Illinois	United States
FY2017	$745	$1,436
FY2018	$849	$1,552
FY2019	$819	$1,654
FY2020	$914	$1,880
FY2021	$942	$1,810
FY2022	$1,079	$1,917
FY2023	$1,028	$2,079
FY2024	$1,053	$2,047
FY2025	$977	$2,165
FY2026	$849 (partial year)	$1,911

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Illinois and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Illinois	United States
FY2017	$48.60	$93.28
FY2018	$37.17	$105
FY2019	$49.85	$128
FY2020	$50.16	$145
FY2021	$42.54	$117
FY2022	$58.23

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Illinois and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Illinois	United States
FY2021	$4,621	$5,748
FY2022	$3,865	$5,221
FY2023	$3,965	$5,364
FY2024	$4,093	$5,501
FY2025	$4,143	$5,732
FY2026	$4,042

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Illinois and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Illinois	United States
FY2021	$289	$298
FY2022	$416	$357
FY2023	$283	$301
FY2024	$296	$319
FY2025	$433	$360
FY2026	$322 (partial year)

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Illinois and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Illinois	United States
FY2021	$256	$239
FY2022	$211	$185
FY2023	$264	$229
FY2024	$256	$229
FY2025	$263	$249
FY2026	$293 (partial year)

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Illinois and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Illinois	United States
FY2021	$2,081	$2,304
FY2022	$1,761	$2,197
FY2023	$2,025	$2,274
FY2024	$1,959	$2,267
FY2025	$2,044	$2,397
FY2026	$2,329 (partial year)

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Illinois and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Illinois	United States
FY2021	$1,512	$1,186
FY2022	$474	$465
FY2023	$77.66	$76.52
FY2024	$133	$120
FY2025	$127	$148
FY2026	$95.74 (partial year)

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Illinois
United States
Years with money loaded

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Illinois and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	1.3%	2.0%
2015	1.5%

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Counties of Illinois whose money per resident jumped. Open a county for its comparison with similar counties.

Randolph County, ILContracts and grants · FY2024$2,587 (6.3×)
Randolph County, ILTransportation grants · FY2024$1,972 (17×)
Livingston County, ILContracts and grants · FY2024$1,482 (3.7×)
Edgar County, ILContracts and grants · FY2024$1,257 (3.8×)
Lawrence County, ILContracts and grants · FY2024$1,461 (2.6×)

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/17

See all comparisons

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Illinois is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Counties of Illinois

All 102 counties, best quality-of-life score first.

Neighboring states

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar states

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/17

Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	−4.2%	−4.2%
2015	−0.8%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+2.7%	+3.3%
2018	+6.2%	+6.8%
2019	+9.0%	+10.5%
2020	+17.4%	+19.4%
2021	+24.2%	+26.1%
2022	+28.8%	+30.6%
2023	+32.1%	+35.0%
2024	+36.8%	+41.0%
2025	+41.7%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	−5.5%	−5.5%
2015	−1.3%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.3%	+4.1%
2018	+9.2%	+8.9%
2019	+12.4%	+13.5%
2020	+19.9%	+20.8%
2021	+30.2%	+32.1%
2022	+32.5%	+35.4%
2023	+39.8%	+42.9%
2024	+45.1%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	1.6/1k	3.3/1k
2015	1.5/1k	3.7/1k
2016	1.8/1k	3.7/1k
2017	2.0/1k	3.9/1k
2018	1.7/1k	4.1/1k
2019	1.6/1k	4.2/1k
2020	1.4/1k	4.4/1k
2021	1.5/1k	5.2/1k
2022	1.6/1k	5.0/1k
2023	1.3/1k	4.5/1k
2024	1.6/1k	4.3/1k
2025	1.5/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	−5.8%	−6.9%
2015	−2.3%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.4%	+4.7%
2018	+6.7%	+7.5%
2019	+13.5%	+14.0%
2020	+16.8%	+16.9%
2021	+18.4%	+21.0%
2022	+25.9%	+29.7%
2023	+31.8%	+34.9%
2024	+36.7%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	14.3%	15.5%
2015	13.6%	14.7%
2016	13.0%	14.0%
2017	12.5%	13.4%
2018	12.1%	13.1%
2019	11.4%	12.3%
2020	11.0%	11.9%
2021	12.1%	12.8%
2022	11.9%	12.6%
2023	11.6%	12.5%
2024	11.5%	12.1%

Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	7.2%	6.2%
2015	6.0%	5.3%
2016	5.9%	4.9%
2017	5.0%	4.4%
2018	4.4%	3.9%
2019	4.0%	3.7%
2020	9.3%	8.1%
2021	6.1%	5.4%
2022	4.6%	3.7%
2023	4.5%	3.6%
2024	5.0%	4.0%
2025	4.6%	4.3%

Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	−8.0% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−4.0% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+5.0% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+8.1% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	+11.1% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+18.3% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	+29.8% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+38.6% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+46.2% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+54.1% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+60.8% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	11.2%	13.5%
2015	8.2%	10.9%
2016	7.5%	10.0%
2017	7.9%	10.2%
2018	8.1%	10.4%
2019	8.7%	10.8%
2020	8.4%	10.4%
2021	8.2%	10.2%
2022	7.7%	9.5%
2023	7.3%	9.5%
2024	8.1%	9.8%

Calendar years	Illinois	United States
2014	7.6/1k	8.5/1k
2015	7.7/1k	8.7/1k
2016	7.8/1k	9.1/1k
2017	8.2/1k	9.8/1k
2018	9.1/1k	10.7/1k
2019	9.3/1k	10.6/1k
2020	13.3/1k	13.1/1k
2021	15.7/1k	16.2/1k
2022	13.5/1k	15.1/1k
2023	13.7/1k	16.2/1k
2024	13.5/1k	15.4/1k
2025	14.9/1k	16.6/1k

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends