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 Sun-Times, October 31, 2011: Year-round classes lift Lindblom
"Two-thirds of schools failed to make increasingly difficult federal progress targets under the No Child Left Behind law. This year, to hit the target, 85 percent of a school's students - and subgroups such as special education or low-income students - had to pass their tests."
Chicago Tribune October 31, 2011: Many third-graders fail a key reading standard
"What has changed in the past decade is there's a renewed public understanding that not graduating from high school has deeply negative consequences for the individual and the family, especially when it comes to escaping generational poverty and finding gainful employment with family-supporting wages,' Smith said."
Chicago Tribune, October 20, 2011: 11th-grade scores at new low
"For the first time in at least 10 years, Elmhurst's Conrad Fischer Elementary School posted a 90 percent passing rate, though it faces challenges uncommon in some other affluent school districts. Fischer has the highest percentage of low-income students among District 205 schools."
The New York Times, October 16, 2011: Reducing the Cost of Logging In to Learn
"Teachers at Voise Academy and other schools where technology is central to the curriculum said the Comcast plan is a way to help remove a family's low income as a barrier to educational success."
Chicago Tribune, September 27, 2011: As 6 city schools begin longer day, many kids enjoy 1st recess in years
"But the school, where nearly all students are from low-income families, still has a long way to go. Principal Cynthia Miller supported the move to a longer day to give teachers and their students more time to focus on math, reading and science."