Editor’s note: There is a lot of information coming at you every day, but not a lot of context. The Illinois Policy Institute is launching "Our Perspective" to give you our take on topics of the day so you can better shape your take on them.
Hot real estate market mostly missed Illinois, ranking 48th for new homes
Illinois saw new residential building permits in 2021 issued at one of the slowest rates in the nation. The rest of the U.S. saw real estate booming.
Illinois home building lags virtually every other state during past decade
New census data shows Illinois ranked 48th in the U.S. for new single-family home permits during the past decade.
Illinois is home to most seriously delinquent mortgages in Midwest
Data reveals 5.7% of Illinois homeowners are at least 90 days behind on their payments.
Chicago area up 241K jobs, rest of Illinois down 41K jobs from before recession
Illinois’ uneven recovery reflects national trends, but also raises important questions about the state’s economic future ahead of a key tax hike vote.
Chicago’s 2020 budget proposal was never truly balanced
Faced with the impossible task of balancing Chicago’s budget without pension reform, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is forced to partially rely on phantom cuts and revenues.
Lightfoot looks to Springfield for more taxing power on high-end services, home sales
Chicago’s mayor wants permission from Springfield to impose a new tax on high-end professional services and raise taxes on pricier home sales, as the city faces down a $1 billion deficit.
Illinois taxpayers to face $2.1B in new taxes on July 1
Starting this July, Illinoisans will pay higher taxes on gasoline, cigarettes, video gaming and more.
Quincy hikes property taxes to pay for pensions
The Gem City joins a growing list of Illinois municipalities raising property taxes to pay for pensions.
‘Home Alone’ with a $38,500 property tax bill
As pension costs explode for Winnetka and the rest of Illinois, owners of the “Home Alone” house featured in the 1990 film are feeling the effects.