Illinois
State Government
Governor
J.B. Pritzker (D)
State Senate
40
Democrats,
19
Republicans
State House
78
Democrats,
40
Republicans
Economic well-being - Illinois
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.1
Minimum wage
15.0
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.3
Poverty rate
11.6%
Unemployment rate
4.4
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
6.9
Poverty by demographic - Illinois
Child poverty rate
0.1
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
28000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
204000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
312000
Senior poverty rate
10.6 %
Women in poverty
6,308,481
Chicago Tribune, November 20, 2012: Teachers union chief slams 'top-down' reform
"Lewis, who won key concessions from Emanuel's school board by leading her union's 29,000 members on a seven-day strike in September, said social and economic concerns have to be addressed before schools can get better. We cannot fix what's wrong with our schools until we are prepared to have honest conversations about poverty and race,' Lewis said. Until we do, we will be mired in the no-excuses mentality (that) poverty doesn't matter. Poverty matters a lot when you are teaching children who are distracted by their lives.'"
Chicago Sun-Times, November 14, 2012: Illinois schools rate C's for performance, education group says
"For the first time, half of Illinois public schools now serve populations that are at least 40 percent low-income, said Robin Steans, Advance Illinois executive director. In addition, in the mere two years between 2010 and 2012, the state's low-income public school population grew from 45 percent to 49 percent in K-12 and from 26 percent to 32 percent in four-year colleges."
Chicago Tribune, November 12, 2012: Small town succeeds where Chicago fails
"Outreach workers who make home visits and provide services can help reduce truancy, records and interviews show. With rising rates of child poverty and homelessness contributing to the problem, sometimes the fix is as simple as an alarm clock or winter boots."
Chicago Tribune, November 11, 2012: An empty-desk epidemic
"For children born into poverty, the flood of missed days threatens to swallow any hope for a better life. For the Chicago Public Schools, the empty seats undermine efforts to boost achievement and cost the district millions in attendance-based funding."
Chicago Tribune, November 05, 2012: District 214 students fall short of federal standards
"Schools in Arlington Heights-based Township High School District 214 fell short of federal standards, but leaders stress students continue to perform well according to other measures. None of the district's six traditional high schools achieved adequate yearly progress as set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The district has 12,300 students, 23 percent of whom are considered low income, according to a state report card released Oct. 31."
Chicago Daily Herald, September 22, 2012: Preschool aims to help low-income children in West Chicago
"What began about six years ago as an idea to give low-income children in West Chicago more than just a head start before kindergarten has become a reality for 150 infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families. Educare of West DuPage, a state-of-the-art preschool, recently opened across the park from West Chicago Elementary District 33's Pioneer Elementary School, which has the highest percentage of low-income students of any elementary school in DuPage County."