More than 1 million Illinois households dependent on food stamps, most in state history
CHICAGO (Dec. 19, 2014) – Illinois’ slow-moving economic recovery has families across the state struggling to make ends meet. New state data released this week show that 1,053,277 Illinois households are dependent on food stamps; that number equals 22.1 percent of all households in the state. This is the highest number of households dependent on food stamps in state history. This news comes as Illinois added only 2,400 payroll jobs in November. The state’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.4 percent.
The new data, which come from the Illinois Department of Human Services, show that more than 1 million Illinois households are now enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also know as food stamps. Illinois’ economy is slowly improving, but has suffered from one of the slowest economic recoveries since the Great Recession of 2008. More than 2 million Illinoisans are currently dependent on food stamps.
“For years, Illinois has suffered with state policies that have slowed growth and hurt businesses and families in the state with one of the worst economic recoveries in the country,” said Michael Lucci, managing director of jobs and growth at the Illinois Policy Institute. “With more than 1 million households dependent on food stamps, Illinoisans are desperate, and hopeful, for a positive direction forward for the state. Illinois needs policies that allow businesses to grow and allow families to succeed.”
Some highlights from the most recent economic numbers include:
- Illinois has a record 1,053,277 households dependent on food stamps.
- There are 2,039,353 individual Illinoisans dependent on food stamps.
- The state’s unemployment rate in November dropped to 6.4 percent in November from 6.6 percent in October. Illinois’ workforce grew by 16,500.
- Despite recent workforce gains, Illinois is still suffering from one of the slowest economic recoveries in the country. With an additional 2,400 payroll jobs in November, Illinois still ranks last in the Midwest for payroll jobs growth in 2014.
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