With Durbin stepping down, top Democrats compete for his seat — and his mantle as an advocate for downstate Illinois.

Illinois’s Economic Policies Are Destroying Opportunity. ... Adam writes about state and local policy and urban economic issues. Follow Author. Feb 21, 2025, 08:48am EST. Share. Save.

Reducing corruption will improve local economies and cultivate more trust between voters and elected officials.

Still, despite these headwinds, Illinois is better positioned to overcome these challenges and withstand the forces that trigger recessions than at any point in recent history. That’s something ...

But if a recession does hit, Illinois is ready to cushion the fall, a new economic study found. The state is in better shape ...

The current Illinois economic story includes higher unemployment, store closings, layoffs and inflation. The state’s jobless rate rose to 5% in June.

No state is immune from the negative effects of an economic downturn, but Illinois is more prepared today than it was for the Great Recession of 2007-2009 or the COVID-19 recession of 2020 ...

Fortunately for Illinois, it’s a misleading one. Illinois is not without challenges. But unlike many other states, we do have a cohesive economic development strategy in place.

Overall, the study ranked Illinois 40th for its state economy but dead last in the economic health category. “Fifty-one out of 50 states and Washington, D.C. ,” said Lugo.

Illinois must build 227,000 more housing units in the next five years if it is going to keep pace with demand, according to an economic report released Tuesday.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed a bill calling for the end of coal as a power source and mandating only clean energy production by 2050.