Illinois sales taxes highest in Midwest

By Bryce Hill

02/14/2024

Combined state and average local sales tax rate tallies 8.85% in Illinois for 2024. That’s the highest in the Midwest and seventh highest in the nation.

Illinois corporate income tax rate hits No. 2 in U.S.

By Bryce Hill

01/29/2024

Illinois businesses pay the nation’s second-highest corporate income tax rates. Chicago is considering taxing them more.

18 states embrace school choice as Illinois hurts low-income families

By Hannah Schmid

01/22/2024

Seven states enacted new private school choice programs in 2023 and 11 states expanded existing programs. But Illinois killed its Invest in Kids tax-credit scholarship program, ending the only help for nearly 10,000 low-income students.

TAGS: school choice

All neighbor states grow as Illinois population shrinks by 32,826

By Bryce Hill

12/28/2023

Illinoisans moving to other states was the sole reason for population decline in 2023. It’s not a Midwestern thing, because our neighbors are growing.

5 jobs Illinois imposes heaviest licensing burdens on

By Joe Tabor

12/04/2023

Employment is the clearest path out of poverty, but these five low-income professions face more occupational licensing burdens than others in Illinois.

Illinois’ excessive job licensing keeps Chicagoans in poverty

By Joe Tabor

12/01/2023

Occupational licensing is more burdensome in Illinois than in neighboring states for many professions. Those barriers are unreasonably keeping poor Illinoisans and Chicagoans from finding work.

TAGS: occupational licensing

Illinois licensing makes escaping poverty harder than in other Midwestern states

By Joe Tabor

11/27/2023

Illinois could make it easier to escape poverty by letting more people work without first getting a license. Six neighboring states do a better job of easing occupational licensing on low-income professions.

Census: 97% of Illinoisans moving out head to lower-tax states

By Bryce Hill

11/01/2023

State-to-state migration estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau showed Illinois lost residents to 36 states and Washington, D.C. Nearly all the former Illinoisans moved to lower-tax states.

Midwest states expand school choice while Illinois fights to save scholarships for low-income students

By Hannah Schmid

08/22/2023

Five Midwest states have enacted or expanded school choice programs since the Invest in Kids Act was enacted in 2017. Now Illinois’ scholarships are set to expire while other programs thrive.

TAGS: Invest in Kids, school choice

Most Illinois metro areas shed jobs in June, await pandemic recovery

By Justin Carlson

08/04/2023

Despite statewide job gains in June, eight of Illinois’ metro areas lost jobs for the month. Most areas still haven’t recovered to pre-pandemic job levels.

Iowa

Illinois sales taxes highest in Midwest

Illinois corporate income tax rate hits No. 2 in U.S.

18 states embrace school choice as Illinois hurts low-income families

All neighbor states grow as Illinois population shrinks by 32,826

5 jobs Illinois imposes heaviest licensing burdens on

Illinois’ excessive job licensing keeps Chicagoans in poverty

Illinois licensing makes escaping poverty harder than in other Midwestern states

Census: 97% of Illinoisans moving out head to lower-tax states

Midwest states expand school choice while Illinois fights to save scholarships for low-income students

Most Illinois metro areas shed jobs in June, await pandemic recovery

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