According to ratings agency Standard & Poor’s 500 Illinois’ credit rating is the worst among the 50 states. We are the only state in the country with an A- credit rating – on par with nations such as Botswana, Latvia and Slovenia And Illinoisans should be aware of the possibility that we could be headed...

TAGS: credit rating

Nation’s worst credit rating costs Illinois millions more in interest payments

By Benjamin VanMetre

08/11/2014

Illinois has the lowest credit rating in the nation. And just like people with poor credit scores, the state must pay higher interest rates. Higher rates mean higher interest payments that drain the budget and leave less money for education, health care and public safety. For every $1 billion of new borrowing, Illinois taxpayers are...

TAGS: credit rating

The sad but true history of Illinois’ credit rating

By Benjamin VanMetre

08/04/2014

Illinois has the lowest credit rating in the nation. The sad truth is Illinois hasn’t been a AAA-rated state since February 1979 – when a gallon of gas cost less than a dollar and the Dow Jones Industrial Average hovered in the low 800s. The state’s credit rating has been in a downward spiral ever...

Elgin taxpayers contribute almost 3 times more to pensions than city employees

By Benjamin VanMetre

07/17/2014

Local pension crises are severely affecting cities, towns and villages across Illinois. Even local governments that have a good track record with transparency and high credit scores are struggling to pay for pensions. Take the AAA-rated city of Elgin, for example. To get its pension system’s funding level up to par, the city would have...

TAGS: Elgin

Chicago gas prices $0.53 higher than national average

By Hilary Gowins

07/03/2014

Just as travelers prepare to hit the road to celebrate Independence Day weekend, national gas prices have risen to levels not seen since 2008. And though prices have dropped slightly in Chicago, the price for a gallon of gas is still higher than it was last year, according to AAA. Today, the average price per...

Chicago drivers gouged at the pump this Memorial Day weekend

By Hilary Gowins

05/23/2014

An estimated 32 million drivers will hit the road this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA. And those leaving from the Chicago area will feel much more pain at the pump. The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.65. In Illinois, the average price per gallon is $3.83. But the average price per...

TAGS: gas tax

AAA

Fitch cuts Illinois credit rating, cites budget gridlock, massive debt and sluggish growth

Gas prices soar higher in Chicago than other Midwestern cities

Illinois pension plans 39% funded, taxpayers on the hook for $105 billion in liabilities: It will get worse

Moody’s: Illinois an outlier in pension debt

Can Illinois’ dead-last credit rating get any worse?

Nation’s worst credit rating costs Illinois millions more in interest payments

The sad but true history of Illinois’ credit rating

Elgin taxpayers contribute almost 3 times more to pensions than city employees

Chicago gas prices $0.53 higher than national average

Chicago drivers gouged at the pump this Memorial Day weekend

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students