State of the state: Pritzker saw worst first-year jobs numbers since Blagojevich

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

01/27/2020

Illinois job creation lagged the national median in nearly every sector.

TAGS: 401(k), BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chicago, constitutional amendment, economic competitiveness, economic growth, fair tax, government spending, graduated income tax, housing, housing market, IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, income, income growth, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs, labor, labor force participation rate, outmigration, pensions, personal income, population, private sector, progressive income tax, public sector, retirement age, spending, spending cap, Springfield, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, U.S. Census Bureau, unemployment

Illinois personal income growth 2nd lowest in U.S. since Great Recession

By Bryce Hill

01/09/2020

Only Mississippi has fared worse than Illinois in personal income growth since the Great Recession hit at the end of 2007. Analysis shows state income taxes matter.

TAGS: corporate income tax, flat tax, graduated income tax, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, income, income growth, income tax, JB Pritzker, labor, marginal tax, personal income, population, progressive income tax, recession, Springfield, tax burden

Illinois state spending has grown nearly 50% faster than taxpayer incomes

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

02/18/2019

A spending cap proposal filed by state Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, would ensure growth in government spending doesn’t exceed taxpayers’ ability to pay for it.

TAGS: budget, debt, deficit, income tax, personal income, spending, spending cap, taxes, Tom Cullerton

Illinois’ income growth second-worst in the nation

By Vincent Caruso

09/14/2018

Amid two record-breaking income tax hikes, growing property tax bills and population decline, the Land of Lincoln’s income growth is trailing the rest of the nation.

TAGS: income, income tax, personal income, spending, spending cap, taxes

Shrinking communities bode ill for Illinois’ economy

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

05/30/2018

More than three-quarters Illinois communities lost population over the year, and nearly all of the state’s major metro areas are lagging the nation on key economic indicators.

TAGS: balanced budget requirement, budget, employment, income tax, labor force participation rate, outmigration, personal income, population, progressive income tax, spending cap, taxes, U.S. Census Bureau, unemployment

New census data tell the tale of Quad Cities

By Austin Berg

05/25/2018

If current population trends hold, Rock Island, Illinois, will take a back seat to Bettendorf, Iowa, within five years.

TAGS: Iowa, outmigration, personal income, population, property taxes, Quad Cities, Rock Island County, taxes, U.S. Census Bureau

Restraining state spending means more certainty, security for Illinois families

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill, Joe Tabor

01/30/2018

State spending grew 25 percent faster than Illinoisans' personal income from 2005-2015.

TAGS: budget, income tax, personal income, spending

Illinoisans see less income after taxes than residents of all neighboring states

By Orphe Divounguy

10/23/2017

Illinoisans saw more than 30 percent of their income go to income taxes and property taxes from March 2015 to March 2016 – a higher share than residents of every bordering state.

TAGS: income tax, personal income, property taxes

Income report shows Illinois staggering along with nation’s worst income growth

By Michael Lucci

07/10/2017

Illinois’ 32 percent income tax hike will steal nearly an entire year’s worth of income growth from Illinoisans.

TAGS: household income, Moody's Investor Service, personal income

Forget the unemployment rate, Illinois is in a depression

By Michael Lucci

06/21/2017

Illinois is tied for the worst income growth in the entire U.S.

TAGS: GDP: gross domestic product, housing, jobs, personal income, unemployment