Chicago area sees greatest population loss of any major U.S. city in 2015

By Michael Lucci

03/25/2016

Census data are sounding a warning signal that Chicago and Illinois policy leaders don’t necessarily want to hear.

The Chicago squeeze: Property taxes, fees and over 30 individual taxes crush city residents

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

12/08/2015

Chicagoans are the most-taxed residents of any major city in Illinois and pay the 10th-highest property taxes compared to taxpayers in other large U.S. cities.

Chicago aldermen move to shackle rideshare drivers with licensing scheme

By Austin Berg

10/23/2015

As companies such as Uber fight to bring driving jobs to underserved neighborhoods, City Council wants to require expensive licensing in exchange for access to customers at airports.

TAGS: rideshare

Gas prices soar higher in Chicago than other Midwestern cities

By Hilary Gowins

08/17/2015

Multiple layers of taxation make gas sold in Chicago more expensive than in other cities across the Midwest.

Illinois’ migration and economic crises revealed in 2014 U-Haul pricing

By Michael Lucci

06/04/2015

Americans once stampeded into Illinois in search of opportunity. Now, the opposite happens.

Warning shots fired, Chicago pays $200M penalty for bad reputation in bond issue

By Ted Dabrowski

05/29/2015

The most recent round of city borrowing is a sign of things to come.

TAGS: bonds, Chicago

U-Haul moving rates shine a light on out-migration

By Michael Lucci

05/05/2014

Illinois has a domestic migration problem. The state is losing too many people. Illinois has lost more people to other states than it gained in every single year since 1985 . And in every year, the people who left earned more money than the people who entered. The Internal Revenue Service released new migration data...

Illinois lawmakers push to keep kids and education from 21st century learning

05/06/2013

by Ted Dabrowski* With a bill that blocks the authorization of any new virtual charter schools, state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, aims to slow Illinois’ move into the 21st century. Her law, House Bill 494, calls for a one-year moratorium “on the establishment of charter schools with virtual-schooling components in school districts other than [Chicago...

Chicago has second highest taxes on meals in restaurants

03/29/2012

Ever notice that going out to eat seems more expensive in Chicago than other cities? One of the reasons is that on top of the very high sales tax in Chicago, there are additional taxes on meals in restaurants: 0.25 percent Chicago restaurant tax and 1.0 percent Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) food and...

Illinois is the third worst place to do business in the United States

05/09/2011

by Mark Cavers Last week a Chief Executive Magazine survey of 556 CEOs ranked Illinois as the third worst place to do business in the United States. Put another way, over 500 of the leaders who are making company’s decisions on where to invest, hire more employees, and expand or contract operations would opt to go almost anywhere in...

Indianapolis

Chicago area sees greatest population loss of any major U.S. city in 2015

The Chicago squeeze: Property taxes, fees and over 30 individual taxes crush city residents

Chicago aldermen move to shackle rideshare drivers with licensing scheme

Gas prices soar higher in Chicago than other Midwestern cities

Illinois’ migration and economic crises revealed in 2014 U-Haul pricing

Warning shots fired, Chicago pays $200M penalty for bad reputation in bond issue

U-Haul moving rates shine a light on out-migration

Illinois lawmakers push to keep kids and education from 21st century learning

Chicago has second highest taxes on meals in restaurants

Illinois is the third worst place to do business in the United States

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