Presidential debate facts: Illinois edition
Presidential debate facts: Illinois edition
How has Illinois performed under President Obama?
Unemployment increases, but underemployment is even higher
Unemployment increases, but underemployment is even higher
The nation’s unemployment rate increased to 7.9 percent in October from 7.8 percent in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If that number is a reflection of the country’s anemic recovery, consider the implications of Illinois’ 8.8 percent unemployment rate in September. There are more than 580,000 Illinoisans formally out of work. And these...
State 48
State 48
Illinois’ state debt: Illinois’ total state debt is $271 billion Illinois’ state debt has ballooned to $51,000 per household Illinois has roughly $9 billion in unpaid bills Illinois will spend more on pensions than on education by 2016 Illinois’ economic performance: Illinois is 47th in job growth Illinois is 48th in economic outlook Illinois is 48th in...
The blame game: Illinois’ unemployment rate jumps to 9.1 percent
The blame game: Illinois’ unemployment rate jumps to 9.1 percent
For the third straight month, Illinois' unemployment rate climbed. More than 9.1 percent of Illinoisans are now unemployed, a full percentage point higher than the national average of 8.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Can you wait four years to get a job in Illinois?
Can you wait four years to get a job in Illinois?
Illinois’ July unemployment rate hit 8.9 percent, up from 8.7 percent in June, the second consecutive monthly increase. Thirty-nine states have a lower unemployment rate than Illinois. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois’ labor force is roughly 6.5 million people. More than half a million of them are unemployed. This is a...
Chicago: The city that works but not for entrepreneurs
Chicago: The city that works but not for entrepreneurs
Chicago has the worst entrepreneurship rate among the 15 largest metropolitan areas in the country.
Illinois’ economic turnaround depends on entrepreneurship
Illinois’ economic turnaround depends on entrepreneurship
As the graphic shows, the rate of entrepreneurship in Illinois has been below the national average every year since 1996 except for 2001. The Kauffman Foundation entrepreneurship index measures the percentage of adults ages 20 to 64 that start a new business each month and work 15 or more hours per week. It’s measured across all 50...
Evanston lawsuit much more than just a food fight
Evanston lawsuit much more than just a food fight
Illinois has felt the bite of the Great Recession more than most states. Our unemployment rate increased to 8.7 percent in June, the highest in the Midwest and 10th highest in the nation. Lawmakers should be doing all they can to make opening a business easier. But in Evanston, Illinois, they are imposing needless restraints....
In tough economic times, Evanston piles on
In tough economic times, Evanston piles on
by Andrew C. Quinn “Take a risk! Be bold! Blaze your own trail!” We college students, along with recent graduates, constantly hear these commands to forge our own path through these uncertain times. Commencement speakers, counselors, columnists and family friends all repeat the conventional wisdom that entrepreneurial flexibility is now a prerequisite for success. Gone,...
Illinois’ economic turnaround depends on entrepreneurship
Illinois’ economic turnaround depends on entrepreneurship
by Lawrence J. McQuillan, PhD Chief Economist As the graphic shows, the rate of entrepreneurship in Illinois has been below the national average every year since 1996 except for 2001. The Kauffman Foundation entrepreneurship index measures the percentage of adults ages 20 to 64 that start a new business each month and work 15 or more hours...
Food fight in Evanston
Food fight in Evanston
On August 7, 2012, the Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a City of Evanston ordinance that exists only to protect established restaurant owners from the legitimate competition that food trucks would bring to the C
Illinois has highest cost of government in Midwest
Illinois has highest cost of government in Midwest
The average Illinoisan works 208 days to pay the cost of government July 26 is Illinois’ Cost of Government Day, the date of the calendar year on which the average Illinois worker has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of the spending and regulatory burden imposed by government at the federal,...
Another day, another terrible competitiveness ranking for Illinois
Another day, another terrible competitiveness ranking for Illinois
CNBC just released its 2012 America’s Top States for Business, and guess what, Illinois didn’t top the list (no surprise there), but it wasn’t even in the top half! Illinois placed a dismal 26th, worse than most of its neighboring states. Texas took top honors as it has done for three of the six years that...
Another Illinois business opposes plastic bag regs
Another Illinois business opposes plastic bag regs
By now you probably know that I’m no fan of the plastic bag regulationscurrently up for consideration in the House. Neither is the editorial boardof the Chicago Tribune. Since my article ran back in April, I’ve been contacted by Illinois businesses in the plastic bag and film sector, and the message I’m hearing is the same: they...