While much has been made about the economic woes and population declines of states like California and New York, recent economic data indicates that Illinois is struggling with huge issues of its own.
Illinois had the 5th worst unemployment rate out of any other state in March at 4.8%, along with one of the nation’s highest tax burdens, and has only added 26,100 net jobs in the last year while adding 30,100 government positions, according to data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security. At the same time, residents are fleeing Illinois in droves as the state grapples with some of the largest pension debt in the country.