With billions in federal COVID-19 relief earmarked for Illinois schools and local government, Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushed them to use the money to lower or freeze property taxes. He made no mention of the state’s role in pushing property taxes to the second-highest in the U.S.

Out of 150 cities, Chicago came in almost at the bottom when the quality of city services and the total budget per capita were ranked, confirming what most Chicagoans already knew.

Illinois households pay nearly $9,500 on average in state and local taxes, which at 15% of their income is the nation’s highest. WalletHub finds gasoline taxes pushed Illinois to No. 1.

Illinois again ranked second for highest property tax rates in the nation in 2021, behind only New Jersey.