Legal marijuana has seen nine consecutive months tally at least $100 million in Illinois sales. The state is on pace to double the previous year and exceed $1.5 billion in sales. Still, Illinois’ illegal market churns out higher sales and violence.

The pandemic caused the largest and shortest economic contraction in U.S. history. But as other states recovered, Illinois’ economy remained $17 billion below the pre-pandemic trend through the first half of 2021.

Illinois ranked 14th worst in the nation for road infrastructure with 20% of state roadways non-acceptable and 12% of bridges in poor condition by federal standards. It was near last in spending on repairs.

This Small Business Saturday, Illinois has more entrepreneurs than before the COVID-19 pandemic. But the recovery has been uneven as some types of small businesses struggle and many jobs are missing as Illinois lags the national rebound.

Illinois’ labor market has heated up, gaining 40,900 jobs in October. It was the largest increase in 2021 as women, especially minority women, returned to work