Illinois is on an upward path, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during his State of the State speech. True, by some measures. Not so much by too many measures that matter.
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 will celebrate this Valentine’s Day knowing it broke up with 364,443 people since 2020. While they moved out for now, lower taxes could win them back.
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.
The Chicago City Council is considering an ordinance to effectively ban natural gas in most new buildings, including gas stoves. Energy providers warn the policy could double heating costs for Chicago homes.
Illinois’ excise tax on wine is more than 4 times higher than the same bottle in New York or California. Buying in Chicago adds extra tax layers, hitting 6 times the taxes of other big cities.
Illinoisans will have wagered more than $300 million on football during December, or roughly $25 a person. Illinois is the second-largest sports betting market in the nation.
Illinois lost 83,839 residents who moved to other states, one of the highest rates in the U.S. and driving a 10th consecutive year of population decline. It ranks near the bottom on multiple other population measures, too.
Research shows income and adult literacy are strongly related. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics show 20% of Illinois adults are “functionally illiterate.” Cook County’s rate is 25%.
The Education Freedom Tax Credit, also known as the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, will give Illinois students access to donor money if the state opts into the program.