Economy of Illinois
![]() Chicago, the largest city in Illinois | |
Statistics | |
---|---|
GDP | $1.137 trillion (2024)[1] |
GDP per capita | $89,475 (2024) |
0.469[2] | |
Labor force | 6,483,999 (August 2023)[3] |
Unemployment | 4.8% (Feb. 2025)[4] |
Public finances | |
Revenues | $29.762 billion[5] |
Expenses | $19.831 billion[6] |


The economy of
Across the state, other
The 2024 total
.Agriculture
Most of the state of Illinois lies outside the
Manufacturing
Manufacturing in Illinois accounts for 14% of the state's total output and generates $101 billion in economic activity.[15] Illinois's manufacturing sector grew out of its agricultural production. A key piece of infrastructure for several generations was the Union Stock Yards of Chicago, which from 1865 until 1971 penned and slaughtered millions of cattle and hogs into standardized cuts of beef and pork.
In 1893 Illinois manufacturers formed the
The centralized location of Illinois made it a key manufacturing hub, especially for
The Chicago area, meanwhile, began to produce significant quantities of telecommunications gear, electronics, steel, automobiles, and industrial products.[citation needed]
As of 2004, the leading manufacturing industries in Illinois, based upon value-added, were chemical manufacturing ($16.6 billion), food manufacturing ($14.4 billion), machinery manufacturing ($13.6 billion), fabricated metal products ($10.5 billion), plastics and rubber products ($6.8 billion), transportation equipment ($6.7 billion), and computer and electronic products ($6.4 billion).[20]
Renewable energy

Illinois currently ranks second in the Midwest for total installed renewable power capacity and fifth nationally for installed wind power capacity.[21] The renewable energy economy has created 114,000 jobs in Illinois and will continue to see growth after a $15 billion investment from the Future Energy Jobs Act in 2016.[22]
Governor
Services

By the early 2000s, Illinois's economy had moved toward a dependence on high-value-added services such as financial trading,
. In some cases, these services clustered around institutions that hearkened back to Illinois's earlier economies.In the late 2010s, the
Tourism
In 2018, Illinois set a new tourism record with 117 million tourists which represented a 3 million person increase from the previous year.[25] Visitors spent nearly $42 billion in spending the same year.
Flash index
The Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the
See also
- Economy of Chicago
- Great Lakes Megalopolis
References
- ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Illinois". BEA. 1 January 1997. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ Bureau, U.S. Census. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
{{cite web}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Civilian Labor Force in Illinois". fed.stlouisfed.org. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ "Current Monthly Unemployment Rates". www.ides.illinois.gov. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ Eljalde Ruiz, Alexia (19 May 2016). "Illinois' unemployment rate rises to 6.6 percent in April". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Chicago Economy". World Business Chicago. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ "Illinois has 4th-most Fortune 500 corporate headquarters in U.S." Illinois Policy. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Named Nation's Top Metro Area for Corporate Relocation For the Sixth Straight Year". World Business Chicago. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "Illinois State Household Income – Department of Numbers". www.deptofnumbers.com. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- ^ Bieneman, Dave (September 2016). "2016 Illinois Economic Report" (PDF). Illinois Economic Report: 1–98. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Facts About Illinois Agriculture". www2.illinois.gov. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ http://www.agr.state.il.us/newsrels/r1022041.html Illinois Department of Agriculture
- ^ "Matter of taste: Area in southern Illinois gets Shawnee Hills designation". Springfield, Ill. State Journal-Register. 2006-12-14. p. 21.
- ^ "Illinois Manufacturing Facts". National Association of Manufacturers. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ )
- ^ "Illinois Manufacturers Organize: They Will Protect Their Interests in the Female Labor Law". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 30, 1893. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ISBN 9780300072853.
- ^ Mayer, Levy (1913). Opinions rendered to the Illinois Manufacturers' Association from January 1, 1899, to January 1, 1907. Chicago, Ill.: Illinois Manufacturers' Association. p. 42.
- ^ Manufacturing in Illinois. Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.[1]
- ^ "Renewable Energy". Illinois Environmental Council. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ "Midwest common sense will drive clean energy shift, despite D.C." Crain's Chicago Business. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ Briscoe, Tony. "Gov. J.B. Pritzker commits Illinois to climate change fight as study shows extreme weather convincing more people". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ "The conundrum of Chicago's economy". Crain's Chicago Business. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ Rackl, Lori. "Illinois sets new tourism record with more than 117 million visitors last year". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ http://www.igpa.uiuc.edu/programs/flashindex.asp IGPA Flash Index