Illinois

{{See also|Illinois Confederation|List of counties in Illinois}}

"Illinois" is the modern spelling for the early French Catholic missionaries and explorers' name for the Illinois Native Americans, a name that was spelled in many different ways in the early records.{{cite web |last=Fay |first=Jim |date=May 11, 2010 |url=http://www.illinoisprairie.info/Eriniouaj.htm |title=Ilinois, Illini and Liniouek |access-date=August 1, 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623234945/http://www.illinoisprairie.info/Eriniouaj.htm |archive-date=June 23, 2010 |publisher=The Illinois Prairie Information Page}}

American scholars previously thought the name Illinois meant 'man' or 'men' in the Miami-Illinois language, with the original {{lang|mia|iliniwek}} transformed via French into Illinois.{{cite book |last=Hodge |first=Frederick Webb |author-link=Frederick Webb Hodge |title=Handbook of American Indians north of Mexico, Volume 1 |year=1911 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology |oclc=26478613 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ze4YAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA597 |page=597 |isbn=9781404740303 |access-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204132005/https://books.google.com/books?id=ze4YAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA597 |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Stewart |first=George R. |author-link= George R. Stewart |title=Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States |url=https://archive.org/details/namesonlandhisto0000stew |url-access= registration |orig-year= 1945 |edition=Sentry (3rd) |year=1967 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin}} This etymology is not supported by the Illinois language,{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}} as the word for "man" is {{lang|mia|ireniwa}}, and plural of "man" is {{lang|mia|ireniwaki}}. The name {{lang|mia|Illiniwek}} has also been said to mean 'tribe of superior men',{{cite web |url=http://www.illinois.gov/facts/symbols.cfm |title=Illinois Symbols |access-date=April 20, 2006 |publisher=State of Illinois |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060415195518/http://www.illinois.gov/facts/symbols.cfm |archive-date=April 15, 2006}} which is a false etymology. The name Illinois derives from the Miami-Illinois verb {{lang|mia|irenwe·wa}} 'he speaks the regular way'. This was taken into the Ojibwe language, perhaps in the Ottawa dialect, and modified into {{lang|otw|ilinwe·}} (pluralized as {{lang|otw|ilinwe·k}}). The French borrowed these forms, spelling the {{IPA|/we/}} ending as {{lang|fr|-ois}}, a transliteration of that sound in the French of that time. The current spelling form, Illinois, began to appear in the early 1670s, when French colonists had settled in the western area. The Illinois's name for themselves, as attested in all three of the French missionary-period dictionaries of Illinois, was {{lang|mia|Inoka}}, of unknown meaning and unrelated to the other terms.{{cite book |last=Callary |first=Edward |title=Place Names of Illinois |year=2008 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-03356-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZvHgwa-XImcC&pg=PA169 |page=169 |access-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204131219/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZvHgwa-XImcC&pg=PA169 |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last=Costa |first=David J. |date=January 2007 |title=Three American Placenames: Illinois |journal=Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas Newsletter |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=9–12 |issn=1046-4476 |url=http://myaamia.strackattack.com/OtherFiles/CostaNewsletter.pdf#page=9 |access-date= May 29, 2011 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716151840/http://myaamia.strackattack.com/OtherFiles/CostaNewsletter.pdf#page=9 |archive-date= July 16, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}

{{Main|History of Illinois}}

File:Upper Bluff Lake Dancing Figures plate HRoe 2012.jpg found at the Saddle Site in Union County, Illinois]]

American Indians of successive cultures lived along the waterways of the Illinois area for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. The Koster Site has been excavated and demonstrates 7,000 years of continuous habitation. Cahokia, the largest regional chiefdom and Urban Center of the Pre-Columbian Mississippian culture, was located near present-day Collinsville, Illinois. They built an urban complex of more than 100 platform and burial mounds, a {{cvt|50|acre|4=0|adj=on}} plaza larger than 35 football fields,{{cite book |author-link=Timothy Pauketat |first=Timothy R. |last=Pauketat |title=Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi |series=Penguin library of American Indian history |publisher=Viking Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-670-02090-4 |oclc=276819729 |pages=23–34 |quote="Cahokia was so large—covering three to five square miles—that archaeologists have yet to probe many portions of it. Its centerpiece was an open fifty-acre Grand Plaza, surrounded by packed-clay pyramids. The size of thirty-five football fields, the Grand Plaza was at the time the biggest public space ever conceived and executed north of Mexico ... a flat public square 1,600-plus feet in length and 900-plus feet in width."}} and a woodhenge of sacred cedar, all in a planned design expressing the culture's cosmology. Monks Mound, the center of the site, is the largest Pre-Columbian structure north of the Valley of Mexico. It is {{cvt|100|ft}} high, {{cvt|951|ft}} long, {{cvt|836|ft}} wide, and covers {{cvt|13.8|acre}}.{{Cite book |last=Skele |first=Mikels |url=https://archive.org/stream/greatknobinterpr00skel#page/102/mode/2up |title=The Great Knob: Interpretations of Monks Mound |series=Studies in Illinois Archaeology |publisher=Illinois Historic Preservation Agency |location= Springfield, IL |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-942579-03-1 |issue=4 |access-date=November 12, 2015}} It contains about {{cvt|814000|cuyd}} of earth.{{cite book |last=Snow |first=Dean R. |title=Archaeology of Native North Americas |year=2010 |publisher=Prentice Hall |location=Upper Saddle River, NJ |pages=201–203 |isbn=9780136156864 |oclc=223933566}} It was topped by a structure thought to have measured about {{cvt|105|ft}} in length and {{cvt|48|ft}} in width, covered an area {{cvt|5000|sqft}}, and been as much as {{cvt|50|ft}} high, making its peak {{cvt|150|ft}} above the level of the plaza. The finely crafted ornaments and tools recovered by archaeologists at Cahokia include elaborate ceramics, finely sculptured stonework, carefully embossed and engraved copper and mica sheets, and one funeral blanket for an important chief fashioned from 20,000 shell beads. These artifacts indicate that Cahokia was truly an urban center, with clustered housing, markets, and specialists in toolmaking, hide dressing, potting, jewelry making, shell engraving, weaving and salt making.{{cite book|last=Nash|first=Gary B.|title=Red, White, and Black: The Peoples of Early North America|publisher=Pearson|isbn=9780205887590|location=Boston|year=2015|edition=7th|page=6}}

The civilization vanished in the 15th century for unknown reasons, but historians and archeologists have speculated that the people depleted the area of resources. Many indigenous tribes engaged in constant warfare. According to Suzanne Austin Alchon, "At one site in the central Illinois River valley, one third of all adults died as a result of violent injuries."{{Cite book |last=Austin Alchon |first=Suzanne |title=A pest in the land: new world epidemics in a global perspective |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YiHHnV08ebkC&pg=PA59 |publisher=University of New Mexico Press |year=2003 |page=59 |isbn=978-0-8263-2871-7 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803102909/https://books.google.com/books?id=YiHHnV08ebkC&pg=PA59 |url-status=live }} The next major power in the region was the Illinois Confederation or Illini, a political alliance.{{cite book|last=Hoxie|first=E.|title=Encyclopedia of North American Indians|year=1996|pages=266–267, 506}} Around the time of European contact in 1673, the Illinois confederation had an estimated population of over 10,000 people.{{Cite web |title=Native Americans:Historic:The Illinois:History:The Illinois Decline |url=https://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/nat_amer/post/htmls/hi_decline.html |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=www.museum.state.il.us}} As the Illini declined during the Beaver Wars era, members of the Algonquian-speaking Potawatomi, Miami, Sauk, and other tribes including the Fox (Meskwaki), Iowa, Kickapoo, Mascouten, Piankeshaw, Shawnee, Wea, and Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) came into the area from the east and north around the Great Lakes.{{cite web |url=http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/nat_amer/post/ |title=Native Americans:American Indian Tribes of Illinois |publisher=Illinois State Museum |date=October 2, 2002 |access-date=February 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322071318/http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/nat_amer/post/ |archive-date=March 22, 2016}}

{{Main|New France|Louisiana (New France)|Canada (New France)|Illinois Country|French and Indian War|Treaty of Paris (1763)|Province of Quebec (1763–1791)|Indian Reserve (1763)|American Revolutionary War|Western theater of the American Revolutionary War|Illinois County, Virginia|Treaty of Paris (1783)|Northwest Ordinance|Northwest Territory}}

File:Illinois 1718.jpg{{cite web |url=http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/lewis_clark/exploring/ch2-10.html |title=Carte de la Louisiane et du Cours du Mississipi. 1718 |last=de L'Isle |first=Guillaume |author-link=Guillaume Delisle |year=1718 |website=An Exhibition of Maps and Navigational Instruments on View |publisher=University of Virginia |access-date=January 25, 2010 |location=Tracy W. McGregor Room, Alderman Library |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716074149/http://explore.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/show/lewisclark |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |url-status=dead}}]]

French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet explored the Illinois River in 1673. Marquette soon after founded a mission at the Grand Village of the Illinois in Illinois Country. In 1680, French explorers under René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Henri de Tonti constructed a fort at the site of present-day Peoria, and in 1682, a fort atop Starved Rock in today's Starved Rock State Park. French Empire Canadiens came south to settle particularly along the Mississippi River, and Illinois was part of first New France, and then of La Louisiane until 1763, when it passed to the British with their defeat of France in the Seven Years' War. The small French settlements continued, although many French migrated west to Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis, Missouri, to evade British rule.

A few British soldiers were posted in Illinois, but few British or American settlers moved there, as the Crown made it part of the territory reserved for Indians west of the Appalachians, and then part of the British Province of Quebec. In 1778, George Rogers Clark claimed Illinois County for Virginia. In a compromise, Virginia (and other states that made various claims) ceded the area to the new United States in the 1780s and it became part of the Northwest Territory, administered by the federal government and later organized as states.{{cite book |last=Biles |first=Roger |title=Illinois: A History of the Land and its People |year=2005 |publisher=Northern Illinois University Press |location=DeKalb |isbn=978-0-87580-349-4}}

{{Main|Indiana Territory|Organic act#List of organic acts|Illinois Territory|Admission to the Union|List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union}}

{{See also|History of Chicago|History of Nauvoo, Illinois}}

File:Kaskaskia Bell 3321.jpg

The Illinois-Wabash Company was an early claimant to much of Illinois. The Illinois Territory was created on February 3, 1809, with its capital at Kaskaskia, an early French settlement.

During the discussions leading up to Illinois's admission to the Union, the proposed northern boundary of the state was moved twice.{{cite web |url=http://www.sancohis.org/presentations/Illinois%20From%20Territory%20to%20State.htm |title=Full Remarks from Dave M |publisher=Sancohis.org |date=March 16, 2010 |access-date=February 7, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=February 2012}} The original provisions of the Northwest Ordinance had specified a boundary that would have been tangent to the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Such a boundary would have left Illinois with no shoreline on Lake Michigan at all. However, as Indiana had successfully been granted a {{cvt|10|mi|adj=on}} northern extension of its boundary to provide it with a usable lakefront, the original bill for Illinois statehood, submitted to Congress on January 23, 1818, stipulated a northern border at the same latitude as Indiana's, which is defined as 10 miles north of the southernmost extremity of Lake Michigan. However, the Illinois delegate, Nathaniel Pope, wanted more, and lobbied to have the boundary moved further north. The final bill passed by Congress included an amendment to shift the border to 42° 30' north, which is approximately {{cvt|51|mi}} north of the Indiana northern border. This shift added {{cvt|8500|sqmi|4=-2}} to the state, including the lead mining region near Galena. More importantly, it added nearly 50 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and the Chicago River. Pope and others envisioned a canal that would connect the Chicago and Illinois rivers and thus connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi.

File:United States 1818-12-1819-03.png was admitted as the state of Illinois, and the rest was joined to Michigan Territory.]]

File:Edward_Coles.png, Edward Coles brought his slaves from his home state of Virginia to give them their freedom when they arrived in Illinois.]]

File:Springfield,Illinois-Old State Capitol.jpg: Abraham Lincoln and other area legislators were instrumental in moving the state capitol to centrally located Springfield in 1839.]]

In 1818, Illinois became the 21st U.S. state. The capital remained at Kaskaskia, headquartered in a small building rented by the state. In 1819, Vandalia became the capital, and over the next 18 years, three separate buildings were built to serve successively as the capitol building. In 1837, the state legislators representing Sangamon County, under the leadership of state representative Abraham Lincoln, succeeded in having the capital moved to Springfield,{{cite web |url=http://abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/Library/newsletter.asp?ID=137&CRLI=193 |title=Abraham Lincoln and Springfield |publisher=Abraham Lincoln's Classroom |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517032613/http://abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/Library/newsletter.asp?ID=137&CRLI=193 |archive-date=May 17, 2012 |url-status=dead}} where a fifth capitol building was constructed. A sixth capitol building was erected in 1867, which continues to serve as the Illinois capitol today.

Though it was ostensibly a "free state", there was nonetheless slavery in Illinois. The ethnic French had owned black slaves since the 1720s, and American settlers had already brought slaves into the area from Kentucky. Slavery was nominally banned by the Northwest Ordinance, but that was not enforced for those already holding slaves. When Illinois became a state in 1818, the Ordinance no longer applied, and about 900 slaves were held in the state. As the southern part of the state, later known as "Egypt" or "Little Egypt",{{cite news |last=Simon|first=John Y.|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/06/24/the-other-illinois-how-egypt-lost-its-clout/ |title=The other Illinois: How Egypt lost its clout |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=June 24, 2001 |access-date=April 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714034522/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-06-24/news/0106240357_1_illinois-egypt-logan |archive-date=July 14, 2015 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Davis| first=Rich |url=http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/may/02/backroads-tourism/ |title=Southern Illinois Backroads Tourism: In Little Egypt it means bluffs, Superman, even scuba diving |publisher=Evansville Courier & Press |access-date=April 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082832/http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/may/02/backroads-tourism/ |archive-date=January 17, 2013}} was largely settled by migrants from the South, the section was hostile to free blacks. Edward Coles, the second Governor of Illinois who was born in Virginia, participated in a campaign to block extending existing slavery in Illinois after winning the 1822 Illinois gubernatorial election. In 1824, state residents voted against making slavery legal by a vote of 6640 against to 4972 for.{{cite web|url=http://www.poemsforfree.com/cc25.html |title=Chapter 25 : The Result |publisher=Poemsforfree.com |access-date=2015-06-11}}

Still, most residents opposed allowing free blacks as permanent residents. Some settlers brought in slaves seasonally or as house servants.{{cite book|last=Finkelman |first=Paul |title=Slavery and the Founders: Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson |year=2001 |page=78 |edition=2nd |publisher=M. E. Sharpe |location=Armonk, NY |isbn=9780765604385}} The Illinois Constitution of 1848 was written with a provision for exclusionary laws to be passed. In 1853, John A. Logan helped pass a law to prohibit all African Americans, including freedmen, from settling in the state.{{cite book|first=James Pickett |last=Jones |title=Black Jack: John A. Logan and Southern Illinois in the Civil War Era |date=1995 |publisher=SIU Press |orig-date=1967| isbn=0-8093-2002-9 |oclc=31435846}}

The winter of 1830–1831 is called the "Winter of the Deep Snow";{{cite news |title=1830-1831: The Winter of the Deep Snow |url=https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/columns/2012/02/02/1830-1831-winter-deep/44269013007/ |publisher=State Journal-Register |access-date=November 9, 2022 |date=February 1, 2012 |archive-date=December 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204125236/https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/columns/2012/02/02/1830-1831-winter-deep/44269013007/ |url-status=live }} a sudden, deep snowfall blanketed the state, making travel impossible for the rest of the winter, and many travelers perished. Several severe winters followed, including the "Winter of the Sudden Freeze". On December 20, 1836, a fast-moving cold front passed through, freezing puddles in minutes and killing many travelers who could not reach shelter. The adverse weather resulted in crop failures in the northern part of the state. The southern part of the state shipped food north, and this may have contributed to its name, "Little Egypt", after the Biblical story of Joseph in Egypt supplying grain to his brothers.{{cite web | title=Egypt |last=Duff |first=Andrew D. |url=http://www.springhousemagazine.com/egypt2.htm |website=Springhouse Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082839/http://www.springhousemagazine.com/egypt2.htm |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |access-date=May 1, 2006}}

In 1832, the Black Hawk War was fought in Illinois and present-day Wisconsin between the United States and a coalition of the Sauk, Fox (Meskwaki), and Kickapoo Indian tribes, who had been forced to leave their homes and relocate to Iowa in 1831. The tribes had lost their territory east of the Mississippi river in Illinois under a disputed treaty in 1804. The Indians, under Sauk Chief Black Hawk, attempted to return to Illinois in April 1832 to reclaim this land. They were attacked and defeated by the U.S. Militia and rival tribes allied with the US forces, including the Potawatomi, Dakota, Menominee, and Ho-Chunk. The survivors of Black Hawk's band were forced back to Iowa.{{cite web |author=Lewis, James |title=The Black Hawk War of 1832 |url=http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/blackhawk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801011703/http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/blackhawk/ |archive-date=August 1, 2012 |access-date=August 10, 2012 |publisher=Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project}} This represented the end of Indian resistance to white settlement in the Chicago and Northern Illinois regions.{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/141.html |title=Black Hawk War |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago |access-date = August 10, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120822134545/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/141.html |archive-date = August 22, 2012}} By 1832, when the last Indian lands in Illinois were ceded to the United States, the indigenous population of the state had been reduced by infectious diseases, warfare, and forced westward removal to only one village with fewer than 300 inhabitants.

By 1839, the Latter Day Saints had founded a utopian city called Nauvoo, formerly called Commerce. Located in Hancock County along the Mississippi River, Nauvoo flourished and, by 1844, briefly surpassed Chicago for the position of the state's largest city.{{Cite journal |last=Easton Black |first=Susan |date=1995 |title=How Large Was the Population of Nauvoo? |url=https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/how-large-was-the-population-of-nauvoo/ |journal=BYU Studies Quarterly |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=91–94 |access-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204005818/https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/how-large-was-the-population-of-nauvoo/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=9 November 2022 |title=Early Chicago, 1833–1871 |url=https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/teaching_packages/early_chicago/doc23.html |access-date=9 November 2022 |website=ilsos.gov |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109230005/https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/teaching_packages/early_chicago/doc23.html |url-status=live }} But in that same year, the Latter Day Saint movement founder, Joseph Smith, was killed in the Carthage Jail, about 30 miles away from Nauvoo. Following a succession crisis, Brigham Young led most Latter Day Saints out of Illinois in a mass exodus to present-day Utah; after close to six years of rapid development, Nauvoo quickly declined afterward.

After it was established in 1833, Chicago gained prominence as a Great Lakes port, and then as an Illinois and Michigan Canal port after 1848, and as a rail hub soon afterward. By 1857, Chicago was Illinois's largest city. With the tremendous growth of mines and factories in the state in the 19th century, Illinois was the ground for the formation of labor unions in the United States.

In 1847, after lobbying by Dorothea L. Dix, Illinois became one of the first states to establish a system of state-supported treatment of mental illness and disabilities, replacing local almshouses. Dix came into this effort after having met J. O. King, a Jacksonville, Illinois businessman, who invited her to Illinois, where he had been working to build an asylum for the insane. With the lobbying expertise of Dix, plans for the Jacksonville State Hospital (now known as the Jacksonville Developmental Center) were signed into law on March 1, 1847.{{cite journal |last1=Norbury |first1=Frank |title=Dorothea Dix and the Founding of Illinois's First Mental Hospital |journal=Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society |date=Spring 1999 |volume=92 |issue=1 |pages=13–29 |jstor=40193299}}

{{Main|Illinois in the American Civil War}}

File:Embarkation of General McClernand's Brigade at Cairo.jpg troops embarking at Cairo on January 10, 1862]]

During the American Civil War, Illinois ranked fourth in soldiers who served (more than 250,000) in the Union Army, a figure surpassed by only New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Beginning with President Abraham Lincoln's first call for troops and continuing throughout the war, Illinois mustered 150 infantry regiments, which were numbered from the 7th to the 156th regiments. Seventeen cavalry regiments were also gathered, as well as two light artillery regiments.{{cite web|url=http://www.illinoiscivilwar.org/units_num.html| title=Illinois Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery Units|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818150741/http://www.illinoiscivilwar.org/units_num.html |archive-date=August 18, 2018 }} The town of Cairo, at the southern tip of the state at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, served as a strategically important supply base and training center for the Union army. For several months, both General Grant and Admiral Foote had headquarters in Cairo.

During the Civil War, and more so afterwards, Chicago's population skyrocketed, which increased its prominence. The Pullman Strike and Haymarket Riot, in particular, greatly influenced the development of the American labor movement. From Sunday, October 8, 1871, until Tuesday, October 10, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire burned in downtown Chicago, destroying {{cvt|4|sqmi|spell=in}}.{{cite book|first=Roland |last=Tweet |title=Miss Gale's Books: The Beginnings of the Rock Island Public Library |location=Rock Island, IL |publisher=Rock Island Public Library |year=1997 |page=15}}

File:Protestors and Chicago Police Officers in Grant Park - DPLA - 2972723d78e7f60f542da94846a6f9a6 (1) (cropa).jpg in Chicago.]]

File:Alton Illinois sinking in 1993.jpg in 1993.]]

At the turn of the 20th century, Illinois had a population of nearly 5 million. Many people from other parts of the country were attracted to the state by employment caused by the expanding industrial base. Whites were 98% of the state's population.{{cite web |title=Illinois—Race and Hispanic Origin: 1800 to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725044857/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 25, 2008}} Bolstered by continued immigration from southern and eastern Europe, and by the African-American Great Migration from the South, Illinois grew and emerged as one of the most important states in the union. By the end of the century, the population had reached 12.4 million.

The Century of Progress World's fair was held at Chicago in 1933. Oil strikes in Marion County and Crawford County led to a boom in 1937, and by 1939, Illinois ranked fourth in U.S. oil production. Illinois manufactured 6.1 percent of total United States military armaments produced during World War II, ranking seventh among the 48 states.{{cite book|last1=Peck| first1=Merton J.| author-link2=Frederic M. Scherer |last2=Scherer |first2=Frederic M. |title=The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis |year=1962 |publisher=Harvard Business School |page=111}} Chicago became an ocean port with the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959. The seaway and the Illinois Waterway connected Chicago to both the Mississippi River and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1960, Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald's franchise in Des Plaines, which was demolished in 1984.{{Cite web |title=McDonald's Store No. 1 (Gone), Des Plaines, Illinois |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11370 |access-date=2024-03-12 |website=RoadsideAmerica.com |language=en |archive-date=March 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312024737/https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11370 |url-status=live }} In 1985 a replica was built on the same site to recreate how the original one looked. Though this replica was demolished in 2017, due to repeated flooding of the building.{{Cite web |date=2014-02-27 |title=Des Plaines blames Mt. Prospect, Prospect Hts. for heightened flooding - DailyHerald.com |url=https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130419/news/704199563/ |access-date=2024-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227181958/https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130419/news/704199563/ |archive-date=February 27, 2014 }}{{Cite web |last=Placek |first=Christopher |date=2017-11-20 |title=McDonald's plans to tear down Des Plaines replica restaurant |url=https://www.dailyherald.com/20171120/news/mcdonalds-plans-to-tear-down-des-plaines-replica-restaurant/ |access-date=2024-03-12 |website=Daily Herald |language=en-US |archive-date=March 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312024737/https://www.dailyherald.com/20171120/news/mcdonalds-plans-to-tear-down-des-plaines-replica-restaurant/ |url-status=live }}

Illinois had a prominent role in the emergence of the nuclear age. In 1942, as part of the Manhattan Project, the University of Chicago conducted the first sustained nuclear chain reaction. In 1957, Argonne National Laboratory, near Chicago, activated the first experimental nuclear power generating system in the United States. By 1960, the first privately financed nuclear plant in the United States, Dresden 1, was dedicated near Morris. In 1967, Fermilab, a national nuclear research facility near Batavia, opened a particle accelerator, which was the world's largest for over 40 years. With eleven plants currently operating, Illinois leads all states in the amount of electricity generated from nuclear power.{{cite web |url=https://www.comed.com/sites/PartnersBusiness/Documents/EconomicDevelopmentFactSheet.pdf |title=ComEd and Electricity Related Messages for Economic Development |access-date=February 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708180209/https://www.comed.com/sites/PartnersBusiness/Documents/EconomicDevelopmentFactSheet.pdf |archive-date=July 8, 2011}}{{cite web |url=https://www.comed.com/Documents/about-us/economic-development/ComEd_and_Electricity_Related_EconDev_Messages_-_January_2012.pdf |title=Home | ComEd—An Exelon Company |publisher=ComEd |access-date=February 27, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914144313/https://www.comed.com/Documents/about-us/economic-development/ComEd_and_Electricity_Related_EconDev_Messages_-_January_2012.pdf |archive-date=September 14, 2013}}

In 1961, Illinois became the first state in the nation to adopt the recommendation of the American Law Institute and pass a comprehensive criminal code revision that repealed the law against sodomy. The code also abrogated common law crimes and established an age of consent of 18.{{cite web |last=Painter |first=George |title=The History of Sodomy Laws in the United States: Illinois |url=http://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/sensibilities/illinois.htm#fn73 |website=The Sensibilities of Our Forefathers |publisher=Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest |access-date=January 12, 2012 |date=August 10, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515065329/http://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/sensibilities/illinois.htm#fn73 |archive-date=May 15, 2010 |url-status=dead}} The state's fourth constitution was adopted in 1970, replacing the 1870 document.{{cite journal |last1=Hillard |first1=James |title=The Illinois Constitution: A Primer |journal=Illinois Bar Journal |date=October 2008 |volume=96 |issue=10 |page=494 |url=https://www.isba.org/ibj/2008/10/theillinoisconstitutionaprimer |access-date=November 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102094526/https://www.isba.org/ibj/2008/10/theillinoisconstitutionaprimer |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=dead}}

The first Farm Aid concert was held in Champaign to benefit American farmers, in 1985. The worst upper Mississippi River flood of the century, the Great Flood of 1993, inundated many towns and thousands of acres of farmland.

File:Jackson Avenue at Federal Plaza, Stay Home City of Chicago Ad.jpg

Illinois entered the 21st century under Republican Governor George Ryan. Near the end of his term in January 2003, following a string of high-profile exonerations, Ryan commuted all death sentences in the state.{{cite news |url =https://news.wttw.com/2020/09/24/former-illinois-gov-george-ryan-we-gotta-do-away-death-penalty |date=2020-09-24 | publisher=WTTW | access-date=2023-06-13 | title=Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan: 'We Gotta Do Away with the Death Penalty' | first=Evan | last=Garcia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614020343/https://news.wttw.com/2020/09/24/former-illinois-gov-george-ryan-we-gotta-do-away-death-penalty |archive-date=2023-06-14}}

The 2002 election brought Democrat Rod Blagojevich to the governor's mansion. It also brought future president Barack Obama into a committee leadership position in the Illinois Senate, where he drafted the Health Care Justice Act, a forerunner of the Affordable Care Act.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/08/AR2009090803790.html?nav=rss_email/components |title=In Illinois, a Similar Fight Tested a Future President |first1=Michael D. |last1=Shear |first2=Ceci |last2=Connolly |newspaper=Washington Post |date=2009-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108191922/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/08/AR2009090803790.html?nav=rss_email/components |archive-date=2012-11-08 }} Obama's election to the presidency in Blagojevich's second term set off a chain of events culminating in Blagojevich's impeachment, trial, and subsequent criminal conviction and imprisonment, making Blagojevich the second consecutive Illinois governor to be convicted on federal corruption charges.{{cite news |url=https://abc7chicago.com/illinois-governors-in-jail-jailed-who-did-time-served/5944787/ |publisher=ABC 7 Chicago |title=4 Illinois governors have served time in prison |date=2020-02-19 |access-date=2023-06-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909070738/https://abc7chicago.com/illinois-governors-in-jail-jailed-who-did-time-served/5944787/ |archive-date=2023-09-09}}

Blagojevich's replacement Pat Quinn was defeated by Republican Bruce Rauner in the 2014 election. Disagreements between the governor and legislature over budgetary policy led to the Illinois Budget Impasse, a 793-day period stretching from 2015 to 2018 in which the state had no budget and struggled to pay its bills.{{Cite news | publisher = WTTW | title = J.B. Pritzker Takes Oath as Illinois' 43rd Governor | author-first = Amanda | author-last = Vinicky | url = https://news.wttw.com/2019/01/14/jb-pritzker-takes-oath-illinois-43rd-governor | date = 2019-01-14 | access-date = 2023-06-13 | archive-date = June 14, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230614020307/https://news.wttw.com/2019/01/14/jb-pritzker-takes-oath-illinois-43rd-governor | url-status = live }}

On August 28, 2017, Rauner signed a bill into law that prohibited state and local police from arresting anyone solely due to their immigration status or due to federal detainers.{{cite web |last1=Bernal |first1=Rafael |title=Illinois Governor Signs Immigration, Automatic Voter Registration Measures |url=https://thehill.com/latino/348283-illinois-governor-signs-immigration-automatic-voter-registration-measures/ |date=August 28, 2017 |work=The Hill | access-date=September 3, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903111831/https://thehill.com/latino/348283-illinois-governor-signs-immigration-automatic-voter-registration-measures | archive-date=September 3, 2019 | url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Tareen |first1=Sophia |title=Governor Signs Law Limiting Illinois Police on Immigration |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/governor-signs-law-limiting-illinois-police-immigration-49472288 |date=August 28, 2017 |publisher=ABC News (from the Associated Press) | access-date=September 3, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910125132/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/governor-signs-law-limiting-illinois-police-immigration-49472288 | archive-date=September 10, 2017 | url-status=dead}} Some fellow Republicans criticized Rauner for his action, claiming the bill made Illinois a sanctuary state.{{cite web |last1=Singman |first1=Brooke |title=GOP Gov. Rauner Accused of Making Illinois a 'Sanctuary State' with New Law |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-gov-rauner-accused-of-making-illinois-a-sanctuary-state-with-new-law/ |date=August 28, 2017 |publisher=Fox News | access-date=September 3, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709204706/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/08/28/gop-gov-rauner-accused-making-illinois-sanctuary-state-with-new-law.html | archive-date=July 9, 2018 | url-status=live}}

In the 2018 election, Rauner was replaced by J. B. Pritzker, returning the state government to a Democratic trifecta.{{Cite news | via = Virgin Islands Daily News | publisher = Associated Press | title = GOP, Democrats splitting governor's races in key states | author-first = David A. | author-last = Lieb | date = 2018-11-07 | access-date = 2023-06-13 | url = http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/ap/gop-democrats-splitting-governors-races-in-key-states/article_5341ede1-c111-579e-862d-089aa4bd4b89.html | archive-date = June 14, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230614020258/http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/ap/gop-democrats-splitting-governors-races-in-key-states/article_5341ede1-c111-579e-862d-089aa4bd4b89.html | url-status = live }} In January 2020 the state legalized marijuana.{{Cite news | url = https://www.npr.org/2020/01/01/792681442/6-new-state-laws-you-should-know-about-in-2020 | access-date = 2023-06-13 | date = 2020-01-01 | title = 6 New State Laws You Should Know About In 2020 | author-first = Acacia | author-last = Squires | archive-date = November 11, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221111043153/https://www.npr.org/2020/01/01/792681442/6-new-state-laws-you-should-know-about-in-2020 | url-status = live }} On March 9, 2020, Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He ended the state of emergency in May 2023.{{cite news | title = COVID-19 public health emergency ends Thursday in US, Illinois | publisher = ABC 7 Chicago | author-first = Diane | author-last = Pathieu | date = 2023-05-11 | url = https://abc7chicago.com/covid-19-public-health-emergency-illinois-test-vaccine/13233372/ | access-date = 2023-06-13 | archive-date = June 14, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230614020258/https://abc7chicago.com/covid-19-public-health-emergency-illinois-test-vaccine/13233372/ | url-status = live }}

{{Main|Geography of Illinois}}

{{Further|List of ecoregions in Illinois}}

Illinois is located in the Midwest region of the United States and is one of the eight states in the Great Lakes region of North America. Illinois's eastern border with Indiana consists of a north–south line at 87° 31′ 30″ west longitude in Lake Michigan at the north, to the Wabash River in the south above Post Vincennes. The Wabash River continues as the eastern/southeastern border with Indiana until the Wabash enters the Ohio River. This marks the beginning of Illinois's southern border with Kentucky, which runs along the northern shoreline of the Ohio River.Wikisource. Illinois Constitution of 1818. Most of the western border with Missouri and Iowa is the Mississippi River; Kaskaskia is an exclave of Illinois, lying west of the Mississippi and reachable only from Missouri. The state's northern border with Wisconsin is fixed at 42° 30′ north latitude. The northeastern border of Illinois lies in Lake Michigan, within which Illinois shares a water boundary with the state of Michigan, as well as Wisconsin and Indiana.{{cite book |editor=Nelson, Ronald E. |title=Illinois: Land and Life in the Prairie State |year=1978 |publisher=Kendall/Hunt |location=Dubuque, IA |isbn=978-0-8403-1831-2 |oclc=4499416}}

File:Looking eastward at Charles Mound, the highest point in Illinois.jpg, the highest natural point in Illinois at {{convert|1,235|ft}} above sea level, is located in the Driftless Area in the northwestern part of the state.]]

Though Illinois lies entirely in the Interior Plains, it does have some minor variation in its elevation. In extreme northwestern Illinois, the Driftless Area, a region of unglaciated and therefore higher and more rugged topography, occupies a small part of the state. Southern Illinois includes the hilly areas around the Shawnee National Forest.

Charles Mound, located in the Driftless region, has the state's highest natural elevation above sea level at {{cvt|1235|ft}}. Other highlands include the Shawnee Hills in the south, and there is varying topography along its rivers; the Illinois River bisects the state northeast to southwest. The floodplain on the Mississippi River from Alton to the Kaskaskia River is known as the American Bottom.

{{Main|Geology of Illinois}}

During the early part of the Paleozoic Era, the area that would one day become Illinois was submerged beneath a shallow sea and located near the Equator. Diverse marine life lived at this time, including trilobites, brachiopods, and crinoids. Changing environmental conditions led to the formation of large coal swamps in the Carboniferous.

Illinois was above sea level for at least part of the Mesozoic, but by its end was again submerged by the Western Interior Seaway. This receded by the Eocene Epoch.

During the Pleistocene Epoch, vast ice sheets covered much of Illinois, with only the Driftless Area remaining exposed. These glaciers carved the basin of Lake Michigan and left behind traces of ancient glacial lakes and moraines.{{Cite journal |last1=Willman |first1=Harold Bowen |last2=Atherton |first2=Elwood |last3=Buschbach |first3=T. C. |last4=Collinson |first4=Charles William |last5=Frye |first5=John Chapman |last6=Hopkins |first6=M. E. |last7=Lineback |first7=Jerry Alvin |last8=Simon |first8=Jack A. |date=1975 |title=Handbook of Illinois stratigraphy |journal=Bulletin - Illinois State Geological Survey |volume=95 |location=Urbana, IL |url=https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/35115 |access-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-date=August 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820230836/https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/35115 |url-status=live }}

File:Cairo Ohio River Bridge at sunset.jpg and the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.]]

Illinois has three major geographical divisions. Northern Illinois is dominated by Chicago metropolitan area, or Chicagoland, which is the city of Chicago and its suburbs, and the adjoining exurban area into which the metropolis is expanding. As defined by the federal government, the Chicago metro area includes several counties in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, and has a population of over 9.8 million. Chicago itself is a cosmopolitan city, densely populated, industrialized, the transportation hub of the nation, and settled by a wide variety of ethnic groups. The city of Rockford, Illinois's third-largest city and center of the state's fourth largest metropolitan area, sits along Interstates 39 and 90 some {{cvt|75|mi|km}} northwest of Chicago. The Quad Cities region, located along the Mississippi River in northern Illinois, had a population of 381,342 in 2011.

The midsection of Illinois is the second major division, called Central Illinois. Historically prairie, it is now mainly agricultural and known as the Heart of Illinois. It is characterized by small towns and medium–small cities. The western section (west of the Illinois River) was originally part of the Military Tract of 1812 and forms the conspicuous western bulge of the state. Agriculture, particularly corn and soybeans, as well as educational institutions and manufacturing centers, figure prominently in Central Illinois. Cities include Peoria; Springfield, the state capital; Quincy; Decatur; Bloomington-Normal; and Champaign-Urbana.

The third division is Southern Illinois, comprising the area south of U.S. Route 50, including Little Egypt, near the juncture of the Mississippi River and Ohio River. Southern Illinois is the site of the ancient city of Cahokia, as well as the site of the first state capital at Kaskaskia, which today is separated from the rest of the state by the Mississippi River.{{cite book |last=Horsley |first=A. Doyne |title=Illinois: A Geography |year=1986 |publisher=Westview Press |location=Boulder |isbn=978-0-86531-522-8}} This region has a somewhat warmer winter climate, different variety of crops (including some cotton farming in the past), more rugged topography (due to the area remaining unglaciated during the Illinoian Stage, unlike most of the rest of the state), as well as small-scale oil deposits and coal mining. The Illinois suburbs of St. Louis, such as East St. Louis, are located in this region, and collectively, they are known as the Metro-East. The other somewhat significant concentration of population in Southern Illinois is the Carbondale-Marion-Herrin, Illinois Combined Statistical Area centered on Carbondale and Marion, a two-county area that is home to 123,272 residents. A portion of southeastern Illinois is part of the extended Evansville, Indiana, Metro Area, locally referred to as the Tri-State with Indiana and Kentucky. Seven Illinois counties are in the area.

In addition to these three, largely latitudinally defined divisions, all of the region outside the Chicago metropolitan area is often called "downstate" Illinois. This term is flexible, but is generally meant to mean everything outside the influence of the Chicago area. Thus, some cities in Northern Illinois, such as DeKalb, which is west of Chicago, and Rockford—which is actually north of Chicago—are sometimes incorrectly considered to be 'downstate'.

{{Main|Climate of Illinois|List of Illinois tornadoes}}

File:IL koppen.svg of Illinois]]

Illinois has a climate that varies widely throughout the year. Because of its nearly 400-mile distance between its northernmost and southernmost extremes, as well as its mid-continental situation, most of Illinois has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa), with hot, humid summers and cold winters. The southern part of the state, from about Carbondale southward, has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa), with more moderate winters. Average yearly precipitation for Illinois varies from just over {{cvt|48|in|0}} at the southern tip to around {{cvt|35|in|0}} in the northern portion of the state. Normal annual snowfall exceeds {{cvt|38|in|0}} in the Chicago area, while the southern portion of the state normally receives less than {{cvt|14|in|0}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/atmos/statecli/index.htm |author=Illinois State Climatologist Office |title=Climate Maps |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060207160607/http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/atmos/statecli/Mapsv2/mapsv2.htm |archive-date=February 7, 2006 |access-date=April 22, 2006}} The all-time high temperature was {{cvt|117|F|0}}, recorded on July 14, 1954, at East St. Louis, and the all-time low temperature was {{cvt|−38|F|0}}, recorded on January 31, 2019, during the January 2019 North American cold wave at a weather station near Mount Carroll,{{Cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/NWSLincoln/posts/2198866976801769 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/201399873215166/2198866976801769 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=US National Weather Service Central Illinois |website=Facebook |access-date=January 31, 2019}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records |title=State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) |website=National Centers for Environmental Information |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=April 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221174428/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records |archive-date=February 21, 2018 |url-status=live}} and confirmed on March 5, 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-content/extremes/scec/reports/20190305-Illinois-Minimum-Temperature.pdf |title=Illinois State Record Minimum Temperature at Mt. Carroll |date=March 5, 2019 |website=National Centers for Environmental Information |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=April 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608021036/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-content/extremes/scec/reports/20190305-Illinois-Minimum-Temperature.pdf |archive-date=June 8, 2019 |url-status=dead}} This followed the previous record of {{cvt|−36|F|0}} recorded on January 5, 1999, near Congerville. Prior to the Mount Carroll record, a temperature of {{cvt|−37|F|0}} was recorded on January 15, 2009, at Rochelle, but at a weather station not subjected to the same quality control as official records.{{cite news |url=https://www.pjstar.com/news/20190228/congerville-about-to-lose-its-extreme-cold-state-record |title=Congerville about to lose its extreme cold state record |first=Scott |last=Hilyard |date=February 28, 2019 |work=PJStar.com |location=Peoria, Illinois |access-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301080452/https://www.pjstar.com/news/20190228/congerville-about-to-lose-its-extreme-cold-state-record |archive-date=March 1, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KRPJ/2009/1/15/DailyHistory.html?req_city=Rochelle&req_state=IL&req_statename=Illinois |author=Weather Underground |title=Weather History for Rochelle, IL |date=January 15, 2009 |access-date=January 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716021952/http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KRPJ/2009/1/15/DailyHistory.html?req_city=Rochelle&req_state=IL&req_statename=Illinois |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |url-status=live}}

Illinois averages approximately 51 days of thunderstorm activity a year, which ranks somewhat above average in the number of thunderstorm days for the United States. Illinois is vulnerable to tornadoes, with an average of 54 occurring annually, which puts much of the state at around five tornadoes per {{cvt|10000|sqmi|km2|-4}} annually."[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif Annual average number of tornadoes, 1953–2004] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174155/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif |date=October 16, 2011 }}", NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved October 24, 2006. Some of Tornado Alley's deadliest tornadoes on record have occurred in the state. The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 killed 695 people in three states; 613 of the victims died in Illinois.{{cite web |url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/1925/gi_body.php |author=PAH Webmaster |title=NWS Paducah, KY: NOAA/NWS 1925 Tri-State Tornado Web Site—General Information |date=November 2, 2005 |access-date=November 16, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002183858/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/1925/gi_body.php |archive-date=October 2, 2006 |url-status=live}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; margin: 1em auto;"

|+ style="font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;" | Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Illinois Cities (°F)

|-

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000; height:17px;"| City

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| January

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| February

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| March

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| April

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| May

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| June

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| July

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| August

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| September

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| October

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| November

! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| December

|-

! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Cairo{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL0168 |title=Average Weather for Cairo, IL |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710114433/http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USIL0168 |archive-date=July 10, 2014 |website=weather.com}}

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 43/25

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 48/29

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 59/37

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 70/46

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 78/57

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 86/67

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 90/71

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 88/69

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 81/61

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 71/49

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 57/39

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 46/30

|-

! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Chicago"[http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/chicago-weather.asp Chicago Weather] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524075650/http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/chicago-weather.asp |date=May 24, 2008 }}", ustravelweather.com

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 31/16

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 36/21

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 47/31

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 59/42

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 70/52

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 81/61

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 85/65

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 83/65

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 75/57

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 64/45

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 48/34

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 36/22

|-

! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Edwardsville{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/62025?from=36hr_bottomnav_business |title=Average Weather for Edwardsville, IL—Temperature and Precipitation |publisher=Weather.com |date=January 17, 2007 |access-date=May 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516170813/http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/62025?from=36hr_bottomnav_business |archive-date=May 16, 2012 |url-status=dead}}

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 36/19

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 42/24

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 52/34

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 64/45

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 75/55

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 84/64

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 89/69

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 86/66

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 79/58

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 68/46

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 53/35

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 41/25

|-

! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Moline"[http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/moline-weather.asp Moline Weather] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524075653/http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/moline-weather.asp |date=May 24, 2008 }}", ustravelweather.com

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 30/12

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 36/18

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 48/29

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 62/39

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 73/50

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 83/60

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 86/64

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 84/62

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 76/53

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 64/42

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 48/30

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 34/18

|-

! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Peoria"[http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/peoria-weather.asp Peoria Weather] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524075658/http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/peoria-weather.asp |date=May 24, 2008 }}", ustravelweather.com

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 31/14

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 37/20

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 49/30

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 62/40

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 73/51

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 82/60

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 86/65

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 84/63

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 77/54

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 64/42

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 49/31

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 36/20

|-

! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Rockford"[http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/rockford-weather.asp Rockford Weather] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524075706/http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/rockford-weather.asp |date=May 24, 2008 }}", ustravelweather.com

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 27/11

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 33/16

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 46/27

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 59/37

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 71/48

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 80/58

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 83/63

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 81/61

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 74/52

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 62/40

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 46/29

| style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 32/17

|-

! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Springfield"[http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/springfield-weather.asp Springfield Weather] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524075711/http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-illinois/springfield-weather.asp |date=May 24, 2008 }}", ustravelweather.com

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 33/17

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 39/22

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 51/32

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 63/42

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 74/53

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 83/62

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 86/66

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 84/64

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 78/55

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 67/44

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 51/34

| style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 38/23

|}

{{See also|Illinois statistical areas|List of municipalities in Illinois}}

Chicago is the largest city in the state and the third-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2,746,388 in 2020. Furthermore, over 7 million residents of the Chicago metropolitan area reside in Illinois. The U.S. Census Bureau currently lists seven other cities with populations of over 100,000 within the state. This includes the Chicago satellite towns of Aurora, Joliet, Naperville, and Elgin, as well as the cities of Rockford, the most populous city in the state outside of the Chicago area; Springfield, the state's capital; and Peoria.

The most populated city in the state south of Springfield is Belleville, with 42,000 residents. It is located in the Metro East region of Greater St. Louis, the second-most populous urban area in Illinois with over 700,000 residents. Other major urban areas include the Peoria metropolitan area, Rockford metropolitan area, Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area (home to the University of Illinois), Springfield metropolitan area, the Illinois portion of the Quad Cities area, and the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area.

{{Largest cities

| country = Illinois

| stat_ref = 2020 U.S. census{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045221 |website=United States Census Buteau |access-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202181905/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045221 |url-status=live }}

| list_by_pop =

| div_name =

| div_link = List of counties in Illinois{{!}}County

| city_1 = Chicago, Illinois{{!}}Chicago

| div_1 = Cook County, Illinois{{!}}Cook

| pop_1 = 2,746,388

| img_1 = Chicago Skyline (44713240565).jpg

| city_2 = Aurora, Illinois{{!}}Aurora

| div_2 = Kane County, Illinois{{!}}Kane

| pop_2 = 180,542

| img_2 = Aurora, Illinois skyline.jpg

| city_3 = Joliet, Illinois{{!}}Joliet

| div_3 = Will County, Illinois{{!}}Will

| pop_3 = 150,362

| img_3 = Joliet Illinois Skyline.jpg

| city_4 = Naperville, Illinois{{!}}Naperville

| div_4 = DuPage County, Illinois{{!}}DuPage

| pop_4 = 149,540

| img_4 =Downtown Naperville Aerial.jpg

| city_5 = Rockford, Illinois{{!}}Rockford

| div_5 = Winnebago County, Illinois{{!}}Winnebago

| pop_5 = 148,655

| img_5 =

| city_6 = Elgin, Illinois{{!}}Elgin

| div_6 = Kane County, Illinois{{!}}Kane{{))!}}, {{!((}}Cook County, Illinois{{!}}Cook

| pop_6 = 114,797

| img_6 =

| city_7 = Springfield, Illinois{{!}}Springfield

| div_7 = Sangamon County, Illinois{{!}}Sangamon

| pop_7 = 114,394

| img_7 =

| city_8 = Peoria, Illinois{{!}}Peoria

| div_8 = Peoria County, Illinois{{!}}Peoria

| pop_8 = 113,150

| img_8 =

| city_9 = Waukegan, Illinois{{!}}Waukegan

| div_9 = Lake County, Illinois{{!}}Lake

| pop_9 = 89,321

| city_10 = Champaign, Illinois{{!}}Champaign

| div_10 = Champaign County, Illinois{{!}}Champaign

| pop_10 = 88,302

| img_10 =

| city_11 = Cicero, Illinois{{!}}Cicero

| div_11 = Cook County, Illinois{{!}}Cook

| pop_11 = 85,268

| city_12 = Schaumburg, Illinois{{!}}Schaumburg

| div_12 = Cook County, Illinois{{!}}Cook

| pop_12 = 78,723

| city_13 = Bloomington, Illinois{{!}}Bloomington

| div_13 = McLean County, Illinois{{!}}McLean

| pop_13 = 78,680

| city_14 = Evanston, Illinois{{!}}Evanston

| div_14 = Cook County, Illinois{{!}}Cook

| pop_14 = 78,110

| city_15 = Arlington Heights, Illinois{{!}}Arlington Heights

| div_15 = Cook County, Illinois{{!}}Cook

| pop_15 = 77,676

| city_16 = Bolingbrook, Illinois{{!}}Bolingbrook

| div_16 = Will County, Illinois{{!}}Will{{))!}}, {{!((}}DuPage County, Illinois{{!}}DuPage

| pop_16 = 73,922

| city_17 = Decatur, Illinois{{!}}Decatur

| div_17 = Macon County, Illinois{{!}}Macon

| pop_17 = 70,522

| city_18 = Palatine, Illinois{{!}}Palatine

| div_18 = Cook County, Illinois{{!}}Cook

| pop_18 = 67,908

| city_19 = Skokie, Illinois{{!}}Skokie

| div_19 = Cook County, Illinois{{!}}Cook

| pop_19 = 67,824

| city_20 = Des Plaines, Illinois{{!}}Des Plaines

| div_20 = Cook County, Illinois{{!}}Cook

| pop_20 = 60,675

}}

{{split section|Demographics of Illinois|date=September 2024}}

The United States Census Bureau found that the population of Illinois was 12,812,508 in the 2020 United States census, moving from the fifth-largest state to the sixth-largest state (losing out to Pennsylvania). Illinois' population slightly declined in 2020 from the 2010 United States census by just over 18,000 residents and the overall population was quite higher than recent census estimates.{{cite news |last=Schulte |first=Sarah |date=April 28, 2021 |title=2020 census results: Illinois loses population, but not from where you'd think |url=https://abc7chicago.com/census-2020-results-illinois-population/10554392/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512060025/https://abc7chicago.com/census-2020-results-illinois-population/10554392/ |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |access-date=May 12, 2021 |work=ABC7 Chicago}}File:Illinois 2020 Population Density.pngIllinois is the most populous state in the Midwest region. Chicago, the third-most populous city in the United States, is the center of the Chicago metropolitan area or Chicagoland, as this area is nicknamed. Although the Chicago metropolitan area comprises only 9% of the land area of the state, it contains 65% of the state's residents, with 21.4% of Illinois' population living in the city of Chicago itself as of 2020.{{Cite web |title=Total Population of Illinois, Chicago and Illinois Counties: April 1,1950 to April 1, 2020 |url=https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/publications/idph/data-and-statistics/vital-statistics/illinois-population-data/County-Census-Population_1950-2020.pdf |website=Illinois Department of Public Health}} The losses of population anticipated from the 2020 census results do not arise from the Chicago metro area; rather the declines are from the Downstate counties.{{cite news |last=Vinicky |first=Amanda |date=December 23, 2020 |title=Illinois Exodus: Census Data Finds People Continue to Leave State |url=https://news.wttw.com/2020/12/23/illinois-exodus-census-data-finds-people-continue-leave-state |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208014533/https://news.wttw.com/2020/12/23/illinois-exodus-census-data-finds-people-continue-leave-state |archive-date=February 8, 2021 |access-date=February 3, 2021 |work=WTTW |quote=[Demographer] Paral says Chicago and the collar counties aren't to blame. He says from Lake to Will to DeKalb counties are growing – not by a lot – but growing at least. Outside of the Chicago metropolitan area is largely declines.}} As of the 2020 census, the state's geographic mean center of population is located at 41° 18′ 43″N 88° 22 23″W in Grundy County, about six miles northwest of Coal City.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-28 |title=The 'center' of Illinois is likely a spot you've never visited |url=https://wgntv.com/news/illinois/the-center-of-illinois-is-likely-a-spot-youve-never-visited/ |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=WGN-TV |language=en-US |archive-date=July 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727015136/https://wgntv.com/news/illinois/the-center-of-illinois-is-likely-a-spot-youve-never-visited/ |url-status=dead }}

Illinois is the most racially and ethnically diverse state in the Midwest. By several metrics, including racial and ethnic background, religious affiliation, and percentage of rural and urban divide, Illinois is the most representative of the larger demography of the United States.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-14 |title=Illinois ranks as 'most normal state' in U.S. according to Washington Post data analysis |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/illinois-ranks-as-most-normal-state-in-u-s-according-to-washington-post-data-analysis/3436002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515060742/https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/illinois-ranks-as-most-normal-state-in-u-s-according-to-washington-post-data-analysis/3436002/ |archive-date=May 15, 2024 |accessdate=2024-05-15 |publisher=WMAQ-TV |language=en-US |department=Illinois}}

{{US Census population

| 1800 = 2458

| 1810 = 12282

| 1820 = 55211

| 1830 = 157445

| 1840 = 476183

| 1850 = 851470

| 1860 = 1711951

| 1870 = 2539891

| 1880 = 3077871

| 1890 = 3826352

| 1900 = 4821550

| 1910 = 5638591

| 1920 = 6485280

| 1930 = 7630654

| 1940 = 7897241

| 1950 = 8712176

| 1960 = 10081158

| 1970 = 11113976

| 1980 = 11426518

| 1990 = 11430602

| 2000 = 12419293

| 2010 = 12830632

| 2020 = 12812508

| estyear = 2024

| estimate = 12710158

| estref = {{Cite web |title=QuickFacts: Illinois |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/IL | website=Census.gov | publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 20, 2024}}

| footnote = Source: 1910–2020{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 20, 2024}}

}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
{{nobold|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.}}

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p004&g=040XX00US17|website=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 25, 2023|archive-date=November 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125182549/https://data.census.gov/table?q=p004&g=040XX00US17|url-status=live}}

!Pop 2010{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPLNAT2010.P2?q=p2&g=040XX00US17|website=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 25, 2023|archive-date=November 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125182549/https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPLNAT2010.P2?q=p2&g=040XX00US17|url-status=live}}

!{{partial|Pop 2020}}{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P2?q=p2&g=040XX00US17|website=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 25, 2023|archive-date=November 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125182550/https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P2?q=p2&g=040XX00US17|url-status=live}}

!% 2000

!% 2010

!{{partial|% 2020}}

|-

|White alone (NH)

|8,424,140

|8,167,753

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,472,751

|{{percentage|8424140|12419293|2}}

|{{percentage|8167753|12830632|2}}

|style='background: #ffffe6; |{{percentage|7472751|12812508|2}}

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|1,856,152

|1,832,924

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,775,612

|{{percentage|1856152|12419293|2}}

|{{percentage|1832924|12830632|2}}

|style='background: #ffffe6; |{{percentage|1775612|12812508|2}}

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|18,232

|18,849

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,561

|{{percentage|18232|12419293|2}}

|{{percentage|18849|12830632|2}}

|style='background: #ffffe6; |{{percentage|16561|12812508|2}}

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|419,916

|580,586

|style='background: #ffffe6; |747,280

|{{percentage|419916|12419293|2}}

|{{percentage|580586|12830632|2}}

|style='background: #ffffe6; |{{percentage|747280|12812508|2}}

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|3,116

|2,977

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,959

|{{percentage|3116|12419293|2}}

|{{percentage|2977|12830632|2}}

|style='background: #ffffe6; |{{percentage|2959|12812508|2}}

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|13,479

|16,008

|style='background: #ffffe6; |45,080

|{{percentage|13479|12419293|2}}

|{{percentage|16008|12830632|2}}

|style='background: #ffffe6; |{{percentage|45080|12812508|2}}

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|153,996

|183,957

|style='background: #ffffe6; |414,855

|{{percentage|153996|12419293|2}}

|{{percentage|183957|12830632|2}}

|style='background: #ffffe6; |{{percentage|414855|12812508|2}}

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|1,530,262

|2,027,578

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,337,410

|{{percentage|1530262|12419293|2}}

|15.80%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |{{percentage|2337410|12812508|2}}

|-

|Total

|12,419,293

|12,830,632

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,812,508

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

File:Ethnic Origins in Illinois.png

[[File:Illinois counties by race.svg|thumb|292x292px|Map of counties in Illinois by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census{{Collapsible list

| title = Non-Hispanic White|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

{{legend|#dd7e6b|40–50%}}

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}

{{col-end}}

}}]]

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"

|+ style="font-size:90%" |Ethnic composition as of the 2020 census

|-

! Race and ethnicity{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |author= |date=August 12, 2021 |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=2021-09-26 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |url-status=live }}

! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Alone

! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total

|-

| White (non-Hispanic)

|align=right| {{bartable|58.3|%|2||background:gray}}

|align=right| {{bartable|61.3|%|2||background:gray}}

|-

| Hispanic or Latino{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}}

|align=right| {{bartable}}

|align=right| {{bartable|18.2|%|2||background:green}}

|-

| African American (non-Hispanic)

|align=right| {{bartable|13.9|%|2||background:mediumblue}}

|align=right| {{bartable|15.0|%|2||background:mediumblue}}

|-

| Asian

|align=right| {{bartable|5.8|%|2||background:purple}}

|align=right| {{bartable|6.7|%|2||background:purple}}

|-

| Native American

|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:gold}}

|align=right| {{bartable|1.1|%|2||background:gold}}

|-

| Pacific Islander

|align=right| {{bartable|0.02|%|2||background:pink}}

|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}

|-

| Other

|align=right| {{bartable|0.4|%|2||background:brown}}

|align=right| {{bartable|1.1|%|2||background:brown}}

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"

|+ Illinois Racial Breakdown of Population

|-

! Racial composition

!1950{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2014 |title=US Census Bureau- Illinois Race and Hispanic Origin: 1800-1990 |url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/tab28.pdf |website=Wayback Machine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327163928/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/tab28.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 }}

!1960

!1970{{Cite web |title=Persons of Spanish Origin- Table 2 (Persons of Spanish Origin by Race, 1970) |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1970/pc-2-1c/42043782v2p1a1cch7.pdf |website=US Census Bureau}}

!1980{{Cite web |title=Table 5- Percent Distribution of Persons of Spanish Origin by Race, 1980 |url=https://assets.nhgis.org/original-data/modern-census/1980PL_80-S1-7.pdf |website=US Census Bureau}}!! 1990{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725044857/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 25, 2008 |title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |date=July 25, 2008 |website=Census.gov |access-date=September 4, 2017}}{{Cite web |title=1990 Census of Population General Population Characteristics- Illinois |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-15.pdf |website=US Census Bureau}}!! 2000{{Cite web|url=http://censusviewer.com/city/IL|title=Population of Illinois: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}!! 2010{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html |title=2010 Census Data |website=Census.gov |access-date=September 4, 2017 |archive-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522200920/https://census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html |url-status=live }}

!2020{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=040XX00US17&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20(PL%2094-171) |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=data.census.gov}}

|-

| White

|92.4%

|89.4%

|86.4%

|80.8%|| 78.3% || 73.5% || 71.5%

|61.4%

|-

| Black

|7.4%

|10.3%

|12.8%

|14.7%|| 14.8% || 15.1% || 14.5%

|14.1%

|-

| Asian

|0.2%

|0.2%

|0.4%

|1.4%|| 2.5% || 3.4% || 4.6%

|5.9%

|-

| Native American

|0%

|0%

|0.1%

|0.1%|| 0.2% || 0.2% || 0.3%

|0.8%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and{{break}}other Pacific Islander

|—

|—

|—

|—||—||0%||0%

|0%

|-

| 'Some Other race'

|—

|—

|0.2%

|3%|| 4.2% || 5.8% || 6.7%

|8.9%

|-

| Two or more races

|—

|—

|—

|—||—|| 1.9% || 2.3%

|8.9%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (Any race)

|—

|—

|3.3%

|5.6%

|7.9%

|12.3%

|15.8%

|18.2%

|-

|Non-Hispanic white

|—

|—

|83.5%

|78%

|74.8%

|67.8%

|63.7%

|58.3%

|-

|Non-Hispanic black

|—

|—

|12.6%

|14.6%

|14.7%

|15.0%

|14.3%

|13.9%

|-

|Non-Hispanic Asian

|—

|—

|0.4%

|1.4%

|2.4%

|3.4%

|4.5%

|5.8%

|-

|Non-Hispanic Native American

|—

|—

|0.1%

|0.1%

|0.2%

|0.2%

|0.2%

|0.1%

|-

|Non-Hispanic 'Some other race'

|—

|—

|0.2%

|0.4%

|0.1%

|0.1%

|0.1%

|0.4%

|-

|Non-Hispanic two or more races

|—

|—

|—

|—

|—

|1.2%

|1.4%

|3.2%

|}

{| class="cx-linter-tag"

| valign="top" |

{{Pie chart

| thumb = right

| caption = Racial Makeup of Illinois (2023)

| label1 = White alone

| value1 = 60.70| color2=#36A

| label2 = Black alone

| value2 = 13.32| color1=#6A5

| label3 = Native American alone

| value3 = 0.70| color3=#FF33AC

| label4 = Asian Alone

| value4 = 6.03 | color4=#1A9

| label5 = Pacific Islander Alone

| value5 = 0.05| color5=#E17720

| label6 = Some other race alone

| value6 = 8.13| color6=#F0FF00

| label7 = Two or more races

| value7 = 11.08 | color7=#64ECDF

}}

| valign="top" |

{{Pie chart

| thumb = right

| caption = Racial/Ethnic Makeup of Illinois excluding Hispanics from racial categories (2023){{break}}NH=Non-Hispanic

| label1 = White NH

| value1 = 57.85 | color2=#36A

| label2 = Black NH

| value2 = 13.10 | color1=#6A5

| label3 = Native American NH

| value3 = 0.10 | color3=#FF33AC

| label4 = Asian NH

| value4 = 5.93 | color4=#1A9

| label5 = Pacific Islander NH

| value5 = 0.03 | color5=#E17720

| label6 = Other NH

| value6 = 0.38 | color6=#F0FF00

| label7 = Two or more races NH

| value7 = 3.65 | color7=#64ECDF

| label8 = Hispanic Any Race

| value8 = 18.95 | color8=#9400D3

}}

| valign="top" |

{{Pie chart

| thumb = right

| caption = Racial Makeup of Hispanics in Illinois (2023)

| label1 = White alone

| value1 = 15.02 | color2=#36A

| label2 = Black alone

| value2 = 1.19 | color1=#6A5

| label3 = Native American alone

| value3 = 3.15 | color3=#FF33AC

| label4 = Asian Alone

| value4 = 0.50 | color4=#1A9

| label5 = Pacific Islander Alone

| value5 = 0.08 | color5=#E17720

| label6 = Other race alone

| value6 = 40.87 | color6=#F0FF00

| label7 = Two or more races

| value7 = 39.19 | color7=#64ECDF

}}

|}

According to 2023 U.S. Census Bureau estimates (with Hispanics allocated amongst the various racial groups), Illinois' population was 60.7% White, 13.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American or Alaskan Native, 6.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.1% Some Other Race, and 11.8% from two or more races.{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=B03002&g=040XX00US17 |title=B03002 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE—Illinois—2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates |date=July 1, 2023 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=February 21, 2024 |archive-date=October 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007044801/https://data.census.gov/table?q=B03002&g=040XX00US17 |url-status=live }} The white population continues to remain the largest racial category in Illinois. Under this methodology, Hispanics are allocated amongst the various racial groups and primarily identify as Some Other Race (40.9%) or Multiracial (39.2%) with the remainder identifying as White (15.0%), Black (1.2%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (3.2%), Asian (0.5%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.1%). By ethnicity, 19.0% of the total population is Hispanic-Latino (of any race) and 81.0% is Non-Hispanic (of any race). If treated as a separate category, Hispanics are the largest minority group in Illinois. Around 75% of the state's Hispanic population is Mexican-American, numbering 1,794,369 and making up 14.3% of the total population of the state.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03001&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=censusreporter.org}} Illinois is home to the largest population of Mexican descent in the US outside of the Western United States. The second largest Hispanic group in Illinois are Puerto Ricans, numbering 211,676 and making up 9% of the Hispanic population and 1.7% of the total population. The state is also home to significant Central American and South American communities, including 44,373 Guatemalan-Americans, 41,047 Ecuadorian-Americans, and 42,101 Colombian-Americans.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03001&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}}

In 2023, 1,922,259 Illinoisans identified as Black alone or in combination, making up 15.3% of the states population. Of this population, 1,643,638 (13.1%) are non-Hispanic Black alone, while 28,321 identify as Afro-Latino, and 250,300 identify as Black in combination with any other race.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03002 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03002&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02001&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02009 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02009&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}} While most of the state's Black population identifies as African-American,{{Cite web |last=Bureau |first=US Census |title=Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/detailed-race-ethnicities-2020-census.html |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=Census.gov |language=en}} there are also 45,393 people of West Indian descent and 43,911 of Nigerian descent in the state.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}} A majority of the state's Black population resides in the Chicago metropolitan area, with 42% living in Chicago itself.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02009 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02009&geo_ids=16000US1714000&primary_geo_id=16000US1714000 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}} Urban areas in Southern and Central Illinois, including the Metro East, Peoria, Springfield, and Decatur also have significant Black populations. The counties with the highest share of Black residents in Illinois are Pulaski and Alexander County, located at the southern tip of the state along the banks of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in the region known as "Little Egypt", with Black residents making up 32% of the population in both counties.{{Cite web |title=Census profile: Pulaski County, IL |url=https://censusreporter.org/profiles/05000US17153-pulaski-county-il/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=Census Reporter |language=en}}

In 2023, 894,048 Illinoisans identified as being Asian alone or in combination, making up 7.1% of the state's population.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02011 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02011&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=censusreporter.org}} 756,661 identified as Asian alone.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02001&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=censusreporter.org}} The largest Asian groups in the state were Indian (277,961), Filipino (184,508), Chinese (160,880), Korean (67,452), and Pakistani (50,508).{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02018 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02018&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=censusreporter.org}} The overwhelming majority of the state's Asian population resides in the Chicago metropolitan area, mostly in suburban areas.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02011 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02011&geo_ids=31000US16980&primary_geo_id=31000US16980 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=censusreporter.org}} Suburban DuPage County has the highest share of Asian residents in the state, at 14.7%.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02011 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02011&geo_ids=05000US17043&primary_geo_id=05000US17043 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}}

In 2020, 96,498 Illinoisans identified as being Native American alone, while 184,487 did in combination with one or more other races. Over half of this demographic also identified as being Hispanic or Latino.{{Cite web |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html}} According to the 2023 American Community Survey, the largest self-identified Indigenous groups in the state were Aztec (53,815) and Maya (17,866).{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02021 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02021&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=censusreporter.org}} The largest non-Latin American Indigenous groups in the state were Blackfeet (8,674) and Navajo (3,950).

In 2023, 7,260,529 Illinoisans identified as non-Hispanic white alone, making up 57.9% of the population.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03002 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03002&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}} While a majority of white residents in the state lived in the Chicago area, the counties with the highest share of non-Hispanic white population are all located in rural areas with smaller populations, with non-Hispanic white people making up over 80 or 90% of the population in the majority of counties in the state outside of major urban areas.{{Cite web |title=Population by Race and Ethnicity |url=https://dph.illinois.gov/data-statistics/vital-statistics/illinois-population-data/population-race-ethnicity.html |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=dph.illinois.gov |language=en}} The largest European ancestry reported in Illinois is German, making up 15.8% of the population.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}} The state white population also includes a large number of Polish (6.1%), Irish (10.5%), and Italian-Americans (5.5%), with these groups concentrated mainly in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=31000US16980&primary_geo_id=31000US16980 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}}

The state is home to a signifcant Middle Eastern population, with 101,464 people (0.8% of the population) identifying as Arab.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}} The highest concentration of Arab-Americans in the state are found in the southern suburbs of Chicago, in the towns of Brigeview,{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=16000US1708225&primary_geo_id=16000US1708225 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}} Oak Lawn,{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=16000US1754820&primary_geo_id=16000US1754820 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}} Palos Hills,{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=16000US1757394&primary_geo_id=16000US1757394 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}} and Hickory Hills, where they make up between 5-12% of the population.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=16000US1734514&primary_geo_id=16000US1734514 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=censusreporter.org}}

{{as of|2023}}, 50% of Illinois's population younger than age 18 were minorities. This marks an increase from 2010, when 47% of children in the state were minorities, and 2000, when 41% were minorities.{{Cite web |title=Child population by race and ethnicity {{!}} KIDS COUNT Data Center |url=https://datacenter.aecf.org/data/tables/103-child-population-by-race-and-ethnicity?loc=15&loct=2#detailed/2/15/false/2545,133,11/72,66,67,8367,69,70,71,12/423,424 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=datacenter.aecf.org |language=en}} (Note: Children born to white Hispanics or to a sole full or partial minority parent are counted as minorities).{{Cite web |title=IECAM |url=https://db.iecam.illinois.edu/search.asp |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=db.iecam.illinois.edu}}

The state's most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic white, has declined from 83.5% in 1970{{cite web |title=Illinois QuickFacts |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17000.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401070310/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17000.html |archive-date=April 1, 2009 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}} to 58.5% in 2022.{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=B03002&g=040XX00US17 |title=B03002 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE—Illinois—2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates |date=July 1, 2022 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=September 15, 2023 |archive-date=October 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007044801/https://data.census.gov/table?q=B03002&g=040XX00US17 |url-status=live }} Almost 60% of Illinois' minority population, including over 67% of the black population, lives in Cook County, while the county includes around 40% of the state's total population.{{Cite web |title=Census profile: Cook County, IL |url=http://censusreporter.org/profiles/05000US17031-cook-county-il/ |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=Census Reporter |language=en}} Cook County, which is home to Chicago, is the only majority-minority county within Illinois, with non-Hispanic whites making up a plurality of 40.4% of the population.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03002 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03002&geo_ids=05000US17031&primary_geo_id=05000US17031 |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=censusreporter.org}}

According to 2022 estimates from the American Community Survey, 16% of the population had German ancestry, 14% had Mexican ancestry, 10.4% had Irish ancestry, 7.1% had English ancestry, 6.2% had Polish ancestry, 5.2% had Italian ancestry, 3.4% listed themselves as American, 2.3% had Indian ancestry, 1.7% had Puerto Rican ancestry, 1.7% had Swedish ancestry, 1.4% had Filipino ancestry, 1.4% had French ancestry, and 1.2% had Chinese ancestry. The state also has a large population of African-Americans, making up 15.3% of the population alone or in combination.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02018 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02018&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03001&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02009 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02009&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}}

This table displays all self-reported ancestries with over 50,000 members in Illinois, alone or in combination, according to estimates from the 2022 American Community Survey. Hispanic groups are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Ancestry

!Number in 2022 (Alone){{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04004 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04004&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02015 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02015&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=censusreporter.org}}

!Number as of 2022 (Alone or in any combination){{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03001&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cpercentage |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02018 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02018&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=censusreporter.org}}

!% Total

|-

|German

|649,997

|2,014,297

|16.0%

|-

|Black or African American

(Including Afro-Caribbean & Sub-Saharan African)

|1,689,724

|1,931,027

|15.3%

|-

|Mexican

|—

|1,759,842

|14.0%

|-

|Irish

|338,198

|1,312,888

|10.4%

|-

|English

|278,564

|891,189

|7.1%

|-

|Polish

|336,810

|780,152

|6.2%

|-

|Italian

|205,189

|657,830

|5.2%

|-

|American

(Mostly old-stock white Americans of British descent)

|345,772

|428,431

|3.4%

|-

|Indian

|270,311

|287,101

|2.3%

|-

|Puerto Rican

|—

|214,835

|1.7%

|-

|Swedish

|48,814

|210,128

|1.7%

|-

|Filipino

|131,433

|175,619

|1.4%

|-

|French

|27,025

|174,964

|1.4%

|-

|Chinese

|130,864

|153,277

|1.2%

|-

|Broadly "European"

(No country specified)

|114,209

|146,671

|1.2%

|-

|Scottish

|33,638

|136,636

|1.1%

|-

|Norwegian

|33,099

|133,538

|1.1%

|-

|Dutch

|32,184

|122,139

|1.0%

|-

|Arab

|74,779

|106,612

|0.8%

|-

|Czech

|21,168

|83,090

|0.7%

|-

|Greek

|39,290

|82,360

|0.7%

|-

|Russian

|27,532

|79,623

|0.6%

|-

|Lithuanian

|27,001

|73,207

|0.6%

|-

|Korean

|55,515

|71,709

|0.6%

|-

|Scotch-Irish

|16,817

|60,693

|0.5%

|-

|Ukrainian

|37,306

|60,623

|0.5%

|}

At the 2022 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 1,810,100 foreign-born inhabitants of the state or 14.4% of the population, with 37.8% from Mexico or Central America, 31% from Asia, 20.2% from Europe, 4.3% from South America, 4.2% from Africa, 1% from Canada, and 0.2% from Oceania.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B05012 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B05012&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cpercentage |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B05006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B05006&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cpercentage |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}} Of the foreign-born population, 53.5% were naturalized U.S. citizens, and 46.5% were not U.S. citizens.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B05002 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B05002&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17 |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}} The top countries of origin for immigrants in Illinois were Mexico, India, Poland, the Philippines and China in 2018.{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Immigrants in Illinois |url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_illinois.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927190155/https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_illinois.pdf |archive-date=Sep 27, 2023 |publisher=American Immigration Council}}

{| class="wikitable"

!Place of Birth

!Population (2022){{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B05002 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B05002&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B05006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B05006&geo_ids=04000US17&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=censusreporter.org}}

!% of Total

|-

!United States

!10,660,218

!84.7%

|-

|{{Flag|Illinois}}

|8,379,091

|66.6%

|-

|Other States or D.C.

|2,227,917

|17.7%

|-

|{{Flag|Puerto Rico}}

|50,577

|0.4%

|-

|Other US Territories

|2,633

|0.0%

|-

!Born abroad to American parents

!111,714

!0.9%

|-

!Mexico & Central America

!683,766

!5.4%

|-

|{{Flag|Mexico}}

|621,541

|4.9%

|-

|{{Flag|Guatemala}}

|22,886

|0.2%

|-

|{{Flag|Honduras}}

|13,811

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|El Salvador}}

|12,097

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Belize}}

|7,150

|0.1%

|-

|Other Central American countries

|6,281

|0.0%

|-

!Caribbean

(Not including Puerto Rico)

!25,258

!0.2%

|-

|{{Flag|Cuba}}

|6,955

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Jamaica}}

|6,873

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Haiti}}

|5,265

|0.0%

|-

|Other Caribbean countries

|6,165

|0.0%

|-

!South America

!76,944

!0.7%

|-

|{{Flag|Colombia}}

|22,796

|0.2%

|-

|{{Flag|Venezuela}}

|15,387

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Ecuador}}

|14,356

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Brazil}}

|9,164

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Peru}}

|6,426

|0.1%

|-

|Other South American countries

|8,815

|0.1%

|-

!Northern America

!17,775

!0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Canada}}

|17,632

|0.1%

|-

|Other Northern American countries

|143

|0.0%

|-

!Eastern Europe

!271,358

!2.2%

|-

|{{Flag|Poland}}

|120,473

|1.0%

|-

|{{Flag|Ukraine}}

|33,575

|0.3%

|-

|{{Flag|Romania}}

|15,452

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Russia}}

|14,930

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Bulgaria}}

|13,464

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Bosnia}}

|11,071

|0.1%

|-

|Other Eastern European countries

|62,393

|0.5%

|-

!Western Europe

!30,076

!0.3%

|-

|{{Flag|Germany}}

|19,611

|0.2%

|-

|Other Western European countries

|10,465

|0.1%

|-

!Southern Europe

!34,997

!0.3%

|-

|{{Flag|Italy}}

|18,660

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Greece}}

|12,463

|0.1%

|-

|Other Southern European countries

|3,874

|0.0%

|-

!Northern Europe

!27,573

!0.2%

|-

|{{Flag|UK}}

(Including overseas Crown

Dependencies)

|19,123

|0.2%

|-

|{{Flag|Ireland}}

|5,465

|0.0%

|-

|Other Northern European countries

|2,985

|0.0%

|-

!Europe, unspecified country

!1,353

!0.0%

|-

!East Asia

!137,098

!1.1%

|-

|{{Flag|China}}

|77,933

|0.7%

|-

|{{Flag|Korea}} (North or South)

|37,662

|0.3%

|-

|{{Flag|Japan}}

|9,905

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Taiwan}}

|8,995

|0.1%

|-

|Other East Asian countries

|2,603

|0.0%

|-

!South or Central Asia

!231,775

!1.8%

|-

|{{Flag|India}}

|173,578

|1.4%

|-

|{{Flag|Pakistan}}

|29,823

|0.2%

|-

|{{Flag|Bangladesh}}

|5,858

|0.0%

|-

|Other South or Central Asian countries

|22,516

|0.2%

|-

!Southeast Asia

!131,684

!1.0%

|-

|{{Flag|Philippines}}

|92,569

|0.7%

|-

|{{Flag|Vietnam}}

|18,559

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Thailand}}

|5,268

|0.0%

|-

|Other Southeast Asian countries

|15,288

|0.1%

|-

!West Asia

!52,352

!0.4%

|-

|{{Flag|Iraq}}

|13,341

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Jordan}}

|8,240

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Syria}}

|8,130

|0.1%

|-

|{{Flag|Turkey}}

|5,271

|0.0%

|-

|Other West Asian countries

|17,370

|0.1%

|-

!Asia, unspecified country

!8,366

!0.1%

|-

!Sub-Saharan Africa

!63,590

!0.6%

|-

|{{Flag|Nigeria}}

|22,648

|0.2%

|-

|{{Flag|Ghana}}

|6,018

|0.0%

|-

|{{Flag|Ethiopia}}

|5,069

|0.0%

|-

|Other Sub-Saharan African countries

|29,855

|0.3%

|-

!North Africa

!11,924

!0.1%

|-

!Africa, unspecified country

!2,368

!0.0%

|-

!Oceania

!4,211

!0.0%

|-

!Total Population

!12,582,032

!100%

|}

In 2022, 11.2% of Illinois's population was reported as being under the age of 9, 12.9% were between 10 and 19 years old, 13.4% were 20–29 years old, 13.6% were 30–39 years old, 12.6% were 40–49 years old, 12.7% were 50–59 years old, 11.9% were 60–69 years old, 7.7% were 70–79 years old, and 4% were over the age of 80.{{Cite web |title=Census profile: Illinois |url=http://censusreporter.org/profiles/04000US17-illinois/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Census Reporter |language=en}} The median age in Illinois is 39.1 years. Females made up approximately 50.5% of the population, while males made up 49.5%.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B01001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B01001&primary_geo_id=04000US17&geo_ids=04000US17,01000US |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}} According to a 2022 study from the Williams Institute, an estimated 0.44% of adults in Illinois identify as transgender, a rate slightly lower than the national estimate of 0.52%.{{Cite web |date=June 2022 |title=How Many Adults and Youth Identify as Transgender in the United States? |url=https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Trans-Pop-Update-Jun-2022.pdf |website=UCLA School of Law: Williams Institute}} According to a Gallup survey from 2019, 4.3% of adults in Illinois identify as LGBTQ.{{Cite web |title=Movement Advancement Project {{!}} State Profiles |url=https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/profile_state/IL |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=www.lgbtmap.org |language=en}}

{| class="wikitable"

!Age Group

!% of Total (2022)

!Population (2022)

|-

|0–9

|11.2%

|1,409,553

|-

|10–19

|12.9%

|1,628,658

|-

|20–29

|13.4%

|1,683,823

|-

|30–39

|13.6%

|1,709,929

|-

|40–49

|12.6%

|1,579,665

|-

|50–59

|12.7%

|1,596,049

|-

|60–69

|11.9%

|1,501,221

|-

|70–79

|7.7%

|970,961

|-

|80+

|4%

|502,173

|}

As of 2022, the per-capita income in Illinois is $43,317, and the median income for a household in the state is $76,708, slightly higher than the national average. 11.9% of the population lives below the poverty line, including 16% of children under 18 and 10% of those over the age of 65. There are 5,056,360 households in Illinois, with an average size of 2.4 people per household. 90.4% of the adult population has a high school diploma, and 37.7% of the population over 25 has a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to a national average of 35.7%.

In 2021, Illinois scored 0.929 on the UN's Human Development Index, placing it in the category of "very high" Human Development and slightly higher than the US average of 0.921.{{Cite web |title=Subnational HDI |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/USA/ |website=Global Data Lab}}

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 9,212 homeless people in Illinois.{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |access-date=March 11, 2023}}{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |access-date=March 11, 2023}}

Births do not add up, because Hispanics are counted both by ethnicity and by race.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%"

|+ Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother

|-

! Race

! 2013{{cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2013 |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |publisher=CDC |volume=64 |issue=1 |date=January 15, 2015 |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Sally C. |last4=Curtin |first5=T.J. |last5=Mathews |pages=1–65 |pmid=25603115 |access-date=September 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911162514/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf |archive-date=September 11, 2017 |url-status=live}}

! 2014{{cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2014 |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |publisher=CDC |volume=64 |issue=12 |date=December 23, 2015 |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Sally C. |last4=Curtin |first5=T.J. |last5=Mathews |pages=1–64 |pmid=26727629 |access-date=September 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214040341/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf |archive-date=February 14, 2017 |url-status=live}}

! 2015{{cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2015 |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |publisher=CDC |volume=66 |issue=1 |date=January 5, 2017 |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Anne K. |last4=Driscoll |first5=T.J. |last5=Mathews |page=1 |pmid=28135188 |access-date=September 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831155911/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf |archive-date=August 31, 2017 |url-status=live}}

! 2016{{Cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2016 |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |publisher=CDC |volume=67 |issue=1 |date=January 31, 2018 |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Anne K. |last4=Driscoll |first5=Patrick |last5=Drake |pages=1–55 |pmid=29775434 |access-date=May 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603002249/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf |archive-date=June 3, 2018 |url-status=live}}

! 2017{{Cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2017 |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |publisher=CDC |volume=67 |issue=8 |date=November 7, 2018 |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Anne K. |last4=Driscoll |first5=Patrick |last5=Drake |pages=1–50 |pmid=30707672 |access-date=February 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201210916/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |url-status=live}}

! 2018{{cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2018 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |volume=68 |issue=13 |date=November 27, 2019 |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Anne K. |last4=Driscoll |pages=1–47 |pmid=32501202 |access-date=December 2, 2019 |archive-date=November 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128161211/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |url-status=live }}

! 2019{{cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2019 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |volume=70 |issue=2 |date=March 23, 2021 |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Anne K. |last4=Driscoll |pages=1–51 |pmid=33814033 |access-date=March 29, 2021 |archive-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324160631/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |url-status=live }}

! 2020{{cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-17.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2020 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |volume=70 |issue=17 |date=February 7, 2022 |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Anne K. |last4=Driscoll |first5=Claudia P. |last5=Valenzuela |access-date=2022-02-20 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210175206/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/NVSR70-17.pdf |url-status=live }}

! 2021{{cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2021 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |volume=72 |issue=1 |date=January 31, 2023 |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Anne K. |last4=Driscoll |first5=Claudia P. |last5=Valenzuela |pages=1–53 |pmid=36723449 |access-date=2022-02-02 |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201003942/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |url-status=live }}

! 2022{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=2024-04-05 |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404230758/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |url-status=live }}

! 2023{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr74/nvsr74-1.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=2025-04-11 |archive-date=April 11, 2025 |archive-url= |url-status=live }}

|-

| White

| 85,866 (54.7%)

| 86,227 (54.4%)

| 85,424 (54.0%)

| 82,318 (53.3%)

| 78,925 (52.8%)

| 77,244 (53.3%)

| 74,434 (53.1%)

| 70,550 (52.9%)

| 71,482 (54.1%)

| 68,107 (53.1%)

| 64,698 (51.8%)

|-

| Black

| 27,692 (17.6%)

| 28,160 (17.8%)

| 28,059 (17.7%)

| 25,619 (16.6%)

| 25,685 (17.2%)

| 24,482 (16.9%)

| 23,258 (16.6%)

| 22,293 (16.7%)

| 20,779 (15.7%)

| 19,296 (15.0%)

| 18,013 (14.4%)

|-

| Asian

| 9,848 (6.3%)

| 10,174 (6.4%)

| 10,222 (6.5%)

| 10,015 (6.5%)

| 9,650 (6.5%)

| 9,452 (6.5%)

| 9,169 (6.5%)

| 8,505 (6.4%)

| 8,338 (6.3%)

| 8,277 (6.4%)

| 8,416 (6.7%)

|-

| American Indian

| 234 (0.1%)

| 227 (0.1%)

| 205 (0.1%)

| 110 (0.0%)

| 133 (0.1%)

| 129 (0.1%)

| 119 (0.1%)

| 79 (>0.1%)

| 86 (>0.1%)

| 87 (>0.1%)

| 97 (>0.1%)

|-

| Hispanic (any race)

| 33,454 (21.3%)

| 33,803 (21.3%)

| 33,902 (21.4%)

| 32,635 (21.1%)

| 31,428 (21.0%)

| 30,362 (21.0%)

| 30,097 (21.5%)

| 28,808 (21.6%)

| 28,546 (21.6%)

| 29,710 (23.1%)

| 30,465 (24.4%)

|-

| Total

| 156,931 (100%)

| 158,556 (100%)

| 158,116 (100%)

| 154,445 (100%)

| 149,390 (100%)

| 144,815 (100%)

| 140,128 (100%)

| 133,298 (100%)

| 132,189 (100%)

| 128,350 (100%)

| 124,820 (100%)

|}

• Since 2016, data for births of Hispanic origin are not collected by race, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

{{Main|Languages of Illinois}}

The official language of Illinois is English,{{cite web |url=http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=132&ChapterID=2, |title=5 ILCS 460/ State Designations Act, Illinois Compiled Statutes |publisher=Illinois General Assembly |access-date=October 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319005854/http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=132&ChapterID=2, |archive-date=March 19, 2015 |url-status=live}} although between 1923 and 1969, state law gave official status to "the American language". Nearly 80% of people in Illinois speak English natively, and most of the rest speak it fluently as a second language.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-22.pdf |title=Language Use in the United States: American Community Survey Reports |last1=Ryan |first1=Camille |date=August 2013 |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205101044/http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-22.pdf |archive-date=February 5, 2016 |url-status=dead}} A number of dialects of American English are spoken, ranging from Inland Northern American English and African-American English around Chicago, to Midland American English in Central Illinois, to Southern American English in the far south.

Over 23% of Illinoians speak a language other than English at home, of which Spanish is by far the most widespread, at more than 13% of the total population.{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B16007 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B16007&geo_ids=04000US17,01000US&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cpercentage |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=censusreporter.org}} A sizeable number of Polish speakers is present in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Illinois Country French has mostly gone extinct in Illinois, although it is still celebrated in the French Colonial Historic District.

{| class="wikitable"

!Language spoken at home

!% of Total (2022){{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B16007 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B16007&geo_ids=04000US17,01000US&primary_geo_id=04000US17#valueType%7Cestimate |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=censusreporter.org}}

!Population (2022)

|-

|English only

|76.1%

|9,067,296

|-

|Spanish

|13.8%

|1,638,808

|-

|Other Indo-European languages

|5.8%

|687,797

|-

|Asian/Pacific Islander languages

|3.1%

|372,475

|-

|Other languages

|1.2%

|141,445

|-

!Total population aged 5+

!100%

!11,907,821

|}

{{Pie chart

| thumb = right

| caption = Religion in Illinois (2023){{Cite web |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/state/illinois/ |title=Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics |work=Pew Research Center |access-date=April 10, 2025 |url-status=live }}

| label1 = Protestantism

| value1 = 36

| color1 = DodgerBlue

| label2 = No religion

| value2 = 29

| color2 = Honeydew

| label3 = Roman Catholicism

| value3 = 23

| color3 = #d4213d

| label4 = Islam

| value4 = 3

| color4 = Green

| label5 = Other Christian

| value5 = 3

| color5 = Pink

| label6 = Judaism

| value6 = 2

| color6 = Blue

| label7 = Buddhism

| value7 = 1

| color7 = Yellow

| label8 = Hinduism

| value8 = 1

| color8 = Orange

| label9 = Other religion

| value9 = 2

| color9 = Chartreuse

| value10 = 0

| label10 = No response given/Unknown

| color10 = Black

}}

Roman Catholics constitute the single largest religious denomination in Illinois; they are heavily concentrated in and around Chicago, reflecting the prominent Hispanic, Polish, Irish, and Italian diasporas in the area, and account for nearly 30% of the state's population, .{{cite web |url=http://www.statemaster.com/red/graph/peo_rom_cat_per_of_cat-people-roman-catholicism-percentage-catholics&int=-1&id=IL |title=Roman Catholicism percentage of Catholics statistics—states compared—People data on StateMaster |publisher=Statemaster|date=May 15, 2012 |access-date=May 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912213459/http://www.statemaster.com/red/graph/peo_rom_cat_per_of_cat-people-roman-catholicism-percentage-catholics&int=-1&id=IL |archive-date=September 12, 2012 |url-status=dead}} However, taken together as a group, the various Protestant denominations comprise a greater percentage of the state's population than do Catholics. In 2010, Catholics in Illinois numbered 3,648,907. The largest Protestant denominations were the United Methodist Church with 314,461 members and the Southern Baptist Convention with 283,519. Illinois has one of the largest concentrations of Missouri Synod Lutherans in the United States.

Illinois played an important role in the early Latter Day Saint movement, with Nauvoo becoming a gathering place for Mormons in the early 1840s. Following the 1844 killing of Mormon leader Joseph Smith by a lynch mob in nearby Carthage, Nauvoo was the location of the succession crisis, which led to the separation of the Mormon movement into several Latter Day Saint sects. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest of the sects to emerge from the Mormon schism, has more than 55,000 adherents in Illinois today.{{cite web |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/state/illinois |title=Illinois - Statistics and Church Facts |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205040239/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/state/illinois |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |year=2020 |access-date=March 30, 2020}}

File:Baha'i Temple WikiP-1.jpg in Wilmette, Illinois]]

A significant number of adherents of other Abrahamic faiths can be found in Illinois. Largely concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area, followers of the Muslim, Baháʼí, and Jewish religions all call the state home.{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/c/17/rcms2010_17031_county_family_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives | County Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |access-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112162210/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/c/17/rcms2010_17031_county_family_2010.asp |archive-date=November 12, 2013 |url-status=dead}} Muslims constituted the largest non-Christian group, with 359,264 adherents.{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/17/rcms2010_17_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |access-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112162125/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/17/rcms2010_17_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=November 12, 2013 |url-status=dead}} Illinois has the largest concentration of Muslims by state in the country, with 2.8% of the population being Muslim.Barooah, Jahnabi (June 27, 2012). "PHOTOS: Most And Least Muslim States In America". Huffington Post. The highest concentration of Muslims in the state is in suburban DuPage county, where they make up approximately 7.6% of the population.{{Cite web |title=Rankings by Counties, Metro-Areas, States (Quicklists) {{!}} Statistics {{!}} US Religion |url=https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/statistics/rankings |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=The Association of Religion Data Archives (the ARDA) |language=en-gb}} In the Chicago area as a whole, around 4.7% of the population are Muslim, the highest rate of any major metropolitan area in the United States.{{Cite web |title=Groups - Religious Profiles {{!}} US Religion |url=https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/group-profiles/groups?D=554 |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=The Association of Religion Data Archives (the ARDA) |language=en-gb}}

The largest and oldest surviving Baháʼí House of Worship in the world is located on the shores of Lake Michigan in Wilmette, Illinois, one of eight continental Baháʼí House of Worship.{{cite web |title=The Baháʼí House of Worship |url=https://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306235249/https://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple/ |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |access-date=March 6, 2019 |publisher=Baháʼís of the United States}} It serves as a space for people of all backgrounds and religions to gather, meditate, reflect, and pray, expressing the Baháʼí principle of the oneness of religions.{{Cite web |last1=Ave |first1=Linden |last2=IL 60091 |first2=Sheridan Rd Wilmette |title=Baha'i House Of Worship |url=https://www.enjoyillinois.com/explore/listing/bahai-house-of-worship |access-date=August 15, 2021 |website=Enjoy Illinois |language=en-US |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815203752/https://www.enjoyillinois.com/explore/listing/bahai-house-of-worship |url-status=live }} The Chicago area has a very large Jewish community, particularly in the northern suburbs of Skokie, Buffalo Grove, Highland Park, and surrounding areas. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was the Windy City's first Jewish mayor. Almost 4% of the Chicago area's population is Jewish, numbering over 300,000 people.{{Cite web |title=2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/cmjs/community-studies/chicago-report.html#:~:text=The%202020%20estimate%20of%20the,by%20a%20chronic%20health%20condition. |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=www.brandeis.edu |language=en}}

Chicago is also home to a significant population of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists.

{{Main|Economy of Illinois}}

{{See also|List of Illinois locations by per capita income}}

File:Illinois counties by GDP (2021).png

As of 2022, the gross state product for Illinois reached {{US$|1.0}} trillion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/news/2022/gross-domestic-product-state-and-personal-income-state-3rd-quarter-2022|title=Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 3rd Quarter 2022|access-date=February 11, 2023|archive-date=February 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214141059/https://www.bea.gov/news/2022/gross-domestic-product-state-and-personal-income-state-3rd-quarter-2022|url-status=live}}

As of February 2019, the unemployment rate in Illinois reached 4.2%.{{cite news |title=Moody's sees reason for optimism over Illinois economy |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg-hinz-politics/moodys-sees-reason-optimism-over-illinois-economy |access-date=February 20, 2019 |work=Crain's Chicago Business |date=February 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220122735/https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg-hinz-politics/moodys-sees-reason-optimism-over-illinois-economy |archive-date=February 20, 2019 |url-status=dead}}

Illinois's minimum wage will rise to $15 per hour by 2025, making it one of the highest in the nation.{{cite news |last1=Petrella |first1=Dan |title=Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs law raising Illinois's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-illinois-minimum-wage-pritzker-signs-bill-20190219-story.html |access-date=February 20, 2019 |work=chicagotribune.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220041812/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-illinois-minimum-wage-pritzker-signs-bill-20190219-story.html |archive-date=February 20, 2019 |url-status=live}}

{{main|Agriculture in Illinois}}

File:John Deere 9660STS combine.jpg combine harvester on an Illinois farm; the company is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.]]

Illinois's major agricultural outputs are corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products, and wheat. In most years, Illinois is either the first or second state for the highest production of soybeans, with a harvest of 427.7 million bushels (11.64 million metric tons) in 2008, after Iowa's production of 444.82 million bushels (12.11 million metric tons).{{cite web |url=http://www.soystats.com/2009/Default-frames.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913165322/http://www.soystats.com/2009/Default-frames.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 13, 2012 |title=Soybean Production by State 2008 |year=2009 |website=Soy Stats |publisher=The American Soybean Association |access-date=January 19, 2010}} Illinois ranks second in U.S. corn production with more than 1.5 billion bushels produced annually.{{cite web |url=http://www.ilcorn.org/internal.php?q=vprofile&id=90&date=&banner=ethanol |title=Ethanol Fact Sheet |year=2010 |publisher=Illinois Corn Growers Association |access-date=January 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723163514/http://www.ilcorn.org/internal.php?q=vprofile&id=90&date=&banner=ethanol |archive-date=July 23, 2011}} With a production capacity of 1.5 billion gallons per year, Illinois is a top producer of ethanol, ranking third in the United States in 2011.{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=IL |title=Illinois—State Energy Profile Overview—U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) |publisher=Eia.gov |date=March 19, 2015 |access-date=February 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716020349/http://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=il |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |url-status=live}} Illinois is a leader in food manufacturing and meat processing.[http://www.agr.state.il.us/about/agfacts.html Facts About Illinois Agriculture] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716030412/http://www.agr.state.il.us/about/agfacts.html |date=July 16, 2015 }}, Illinois Department of Agriculture. Accessed online April 16, 2012 Although Chicago may no longer be "Hog Butcher for the World", the Chicago area remains a global center for food manufacture and meat processing, with many plants, processing houses, and distribution facilities concentrated in the area of the former Union Stock Yards.[http://www.lib.niu.edu/2006/iht1320636.html "Meatpacking in Illinois History] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613074227/http://www.lib.niu.edu/2006/iht1320636.html |date=June 13, 2012 }} by Wilson J. Warren, Illinois History Teacher, 3:2, 2006. Access online April 16, 2012. Illinois also produces wine, and the state is home to two American viticultural areas. In the area of The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway, peaches and apples are grown. The German immigrants from agricultural backgrounds who settled in Illinois in the mid- to late 19th century are in part responsible for the profusion of fruit orchards in that area of Illinois.{{cite web |author=Kathleen Walls |url=http://americanroads.net/agri_trails_winter2014.htm |title=Agri Trails |publisher=Americanroads.net |access-date=February 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035741/http://americanroads.net/agri_trails_winter2014.htm |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead}} Illinois's universities are actively researching alternative agricultural products as alternative crops.

Illinois is one of the nation's manufacturing leaders, boasting annual value added productivity by manufacturing of over $107 billion in 2006. {{as of|2011}}, Illinois is ranked as the 4th-most productive manufacturing state in the country, behind California, Texas, and Ohio.{{cite web |url=http://www.ildceo.net/NR/rdonlyres/1357C591-2810-4228-A334-E8B55EF1288D/0/Manufacturing2011.pdf |title=DCEO: Home |publisher=Ildceo.net |access-date=February 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512224938/http://www.ildceo.net/NR/rdonlyres/1357C591-2810-4228-A334-E8B55EF1288D/0/Manufacturing2011.pdf |archive-date=May 12, 2013 |url-status=dead}} About three-quarters of the state's manufacturers are located in the Northeastern Opportunity Return Region, with 38 percent of Illinois's approximately 18,900 manufacturing plants located in Cook County. As of 2006, the leading manufacturing industries in Illinois, based upon value-added, were chemical manufacturing ($18.3 billion), machinery manufacturing ($13.4 billion), food manufacturing ($12.9 billion), fabricated metal products ($11.5 billion), transportation equipment ($7.4 billion), plastics and rubber products ($7.0 billion), and computer and electronic products ($6.1 billion).{{cite web |url=http://www.commerce.state.il.us/NR/rdonlyres/1357C591-2810-4228-A334-E8B55EF1288D/0/Manufacturing.pdf |title=Manufacturing in Illinois |year=2009 |publisher=Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity |access-date=January 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929204017/http://www.commerce.state.il.us/NR/rdonlyres/1357C591-2810-4228-A334-E8B55EF1288D/0/Manufacturing.pdf |archive-date=September 29, 2011}}

File:Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (51574643886).jpg, one of twelve Federal Reserve Banks, at the heart of Chicago's financial center.]]

By the early 2000s, Illinois's economy had moved toward a dependence on high-value-added services, such as financial trading, higher education, law, logistics, and medicine. In some cases, these services clustered around institutions that hearkened back to Illinois's earlier economies. For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a trading exchange for global derivatives, had begun its life as an agricultural futures market. Other important non-manufacturing industries include publishing, tourism, and energy production and distribution.

Venture capitalists funded a total of approximately $62 billion in the U.S. economy in 2016. Of this amount, Illinois-based companies received approximately $1.1 billion. Similarly, in FY 2016, the federal government spent $461 billion on contracts in the U.S. Of this amount, Illinois-based companies received approximately $8.7 billion.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

{{See also|List of power stations in Illinois|Solar power in Illinois}}

Illinois is a net importer of fuels for energy, despite large coal resources and some minor oil production. Illinois exports electricity, ranking fifth among states in electricity production and seventh in electricity consumption."[http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/maps-data-pub/publications/energy01/globalm.shtml Illinois in the Global Energy Marketplace]" {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517110354/http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/maps-data-pub/publications/energy01/globalm.shtml |date=May 17, 2008 }}, Robert Finley, 2001. Illinois State Geological Survey publication.

File:IllinoisBasinMap.jpg]]

The coal industry of Illinois has its origins in the middle 19th century, when entrepreneurs such as Jacob Loose discovered coal in locations such as Sangamon County. Jacob Bunn contributed to the development of the Illinois coal industry and was a founder and owner of the Western Coal & Mining Company of Illinois. About 68% of Illinois has coal-bearing strata of the Pennsylvanian geologic period. According to the Illinois State Geological Survey, 211 billion tons of bituminous coal are estimated to lie under the surface, having a total heating value greater than the estimated oil deposits in the Arabian Peninsula.Illinois State Geological Survey. [http://www.isgs.illinois.edu/research/coal/illinois-coal.shtml Coal in Illinois] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212180840/http://www.isgs.illinois.edu/research/coal/illinois-coal.shtml |date=February 12, 2012 }} Retrieved December 4, 2008. However, this coal has a high sulfur content, which causes acid rain, unless special equipment is used to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. Many Illinois power plants are not equipped to burn high-sulfur coal. In 1999, Illinois produced 40.4 million tons of coal, but only 17 million tons (42%) of Illinois coal was consumed in Illinois. Most of the coal produced in Illinois is exported to other states and countries. In 2008, Illinois exported three million tons of coal and was projected to export nine million in 2011, as demand for energy grows in places such as China, India, and elsewhere in Asia and Europe.{{cite web |url=http://www.ildceo.net/NR/rdonlyres/EA15E8A9-E0BD-468A-A308-BE58E93D0C03/0/CoalInIllinois2011.pdf |title=DCEO: Home |publisher=Ildceo.net |access-date=February 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202930/http://www.ildceo.net/NR/rdonlyres/EA15E8A9-E0BD-468A-A308-BE58E93D0C03/0/CoalInIllinois2011.pdf |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |url-status=dead}} {{as of|2010}}, Illinois was ranked third in recoverable coal reserves at producing mines in the nation. Most of the coal produced in Illinois is exported to other states, while much of the coal burned for power in Illinois (21 million tons in 1998) is mined in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

Mattoon was chosen as the site for the Department of Energy's FutureGen project, a 275-megawatt experimental zero emission coal-burning power plant that the DOE just gave a second round of funding. In 2010, after a number of setbacks, the city of Mattoon backed out of the project.{{cite web |url=http://permianbasin360.com/fulltext?nxd_id=71755 |title=Illinois Town Gives Up on Futurgen |publisher=Permianbasin360.com |date=August 12, 2010 |access-date=April 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309053603/http://permianbasin360.com/fulltext?nxd_id=71755 |archive-date=March 9, 2012}}

Illinois is a leading refiner of petroleum in the American Midwest, with a combined crude oil distillation capacity of nearly {{cvt|900000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}}. However, Illinois has very limited crude oil proved reserves that account for less than 1% of the U.S. total reserves. Residential heating is 81% natural gas compared to less than 1% heating oil. Illinois is ranked 14th in oil production among states, with a daily output of approximately {{cvt|28000|oilbbl|m3}} in 2005.United States Department of Energy. [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/state/il.html Petroleum Profile: Illinois] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008225316/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/state/il.html |date=October 8, 2009 }}. Retrieved April 4, 2006.{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/state/state-energy-profiles.cfm?sid=IL |title=Illinois—U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) |publisher=Eia.gov |date=April 19, 2012 |access-date=April 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415181347/http://www.eia.gov/state/state-energy-profiles.cfm?sid=IL |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |url-status=live}}

{{Main|Nuclear power in the United States}}

File:Byron Nuclear Power Plant, IL 02.JPG in Ogle County]]

Nuclear power arguably began in Illinois with the Chicago Pile-1, the world's first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction in the world's first nuclear reactor, built on the University of Chicago campus. There are six operating nuclear power plants in Illinois: Braidwood, Byron, Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle, and Quad Cities.{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/nuclear/state_profiles/illinois/il.html |title=Nuclear State Profiles |publisher=Eia.gov |access-date=April 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117023524/http://www.eia.gov/nuclear/state/ |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |url-status=live}} With the exception of the single-unit Clinton plant, each of these facilities has two reactors. Three reactors have been permanently shut down and are in various stages of decommissioning: Dresden-1 and Zion-1 and 2. Illinois ranked first in the nation in 2010 in both nuclear capacity and nuclear generation. Generation from its nuclear power plants accounted for 12 percent of the nation's total. In 2007, 48% of Illinois's electricity was generated using nuclear power.{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/states/statesil.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041109144818/http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/states/statesil.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 9, 2004 |title=Illinois Nuclear Industry |date=November 6, 2009 |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration |access-date=January 29, 2010}} The Morris Operation is the only de facto high-level radioactive waste storage site in the United States.

{{Main|Wind power in Illinois}}

File:Illinois wind resource map 50m 800.jpg

Illinois has seen growing interest in the use of wind power for electrical generation."Illinois Wind". Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, Western Illinois University {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070622022457/http://www.illinoiswind.org/index.asp Illinoiswind.com]}} Most of Illinois was rated in 2009 as "marginal or fair" for wind energy production by the U.S. Department of Energy, with some western sections rated "good" and parts of the south rated "poor".{{cite web |url=http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/astate_template.asp?stateab=il |title=Illinois Wind Activities |date=October 20, 2009 |website=EERE |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |access-date=January 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209085417/http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/astate_template.asp?stateab=il |archive-date=February 9, 2010}} These ratings are for wind turbines with {{cvt|50|m|adj=on|sp=us}} hub heights; newer wind turbines are taller, enabling them to reach stronger winds farther from the ground. As a result, more areas of Illinois have become prospective wind farm sites. As of September 2009, Illinois had 1116.06 MW of installed wind power nameplate capacity with another 741.9 MW under construction.{{cite web |url=http://www.awea.org/projects/Projects.aspx?s=Illinois |title=U.S. Wind Energy Projects—Illinois |date=September 30, 2009 |publisher=American Wind Energy Association |access-date=January 14, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105174701/http://www.awea.org/projects/Projects.aspx?s=Illinois |archive-date=January 5, 2010}} Illinois ranked ninth among U.S. states in installed wind power capacity and sixteenth by potential capacity. Large wind farms in Illinois include Twin Groves, Rail Splitter, EcoGrove, and Mendota Hills.

As of 2007, wind energy represented only 1.7% of Illinois's energy production, and it was estimated that wind power could provide 5–10% of the state's energy needs.[http://environmentalalmanac.blogspot.com/2006/09/wind-power-on-illinois-horizon.html "Wind Power on the Illinois Horizon"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124113615/http://environmentalalmanac.blogspot.com/2006/09/wind-power-on-illinois-horizon.html |date=January 24, 2008 }}, Rob Kanter, September 14, 2006. University of Illinois Environmental Council.{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/state_profiles/illinois.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527035341/http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/state_profiles/illinois.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 27, 2008 |title=Illinois Renewable Electricity Profile |year=2007 |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration |access-date=January 15, 2010}} Also, the Illinois General Assembly mandated in 2007 that by 2025, 25% of all electricity generated in Illinois is to come from renewable resources.{{cite web |url=http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=5420 |title=Wind Farm Conference Tackles Complicated Issue |author=Olbert, Lori |date=December 13, 2007 |website=CIProud.com |publisher=WYZZ-TV/WMBD-TV |access-date=January 15, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Illinois is ranked second in corn production among U.S. states, and Illinois corn is used to produce 40% of the ethanol consumed in the United States. The Archer Daniels Midland corporation in Decatur, Illinois, is the world's leading producer of ethanol from corn.

The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC), the world's only facility dedicated to researching the ways and means of converting corn (maize) to ethanol is located on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.{{cite web |url=http://illinoisrfa.org/research/ |title=ILFRA |publisher=Illinoisrfa.org |access-date=February 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001512/http://illinoisrfa.org/research/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.stlrcga.org/documents/corn%20to%20ethanol.pdf |title=Ready for Research |access-date=September 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006155839/http://www.stlrcga.org/documents/corn%20to%20ethanol.pdf |archive-date=October 6, 2013}}

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is one of the partners in the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), a $500 million biofuels research project funded by petroleum giant BP.{{cite web |url=http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7018719 |title=BP Pledges $500 Million for Energy Biosciences Institute and Plans New Business to Exploit Research |publisher=Bp.com |date=June 14, 2006 |access-date=May 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519210908/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7018719 |archive-date=May 19, 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=2&RecNum=5690 |title=Gov. Blagojevich joins Gov. Schwarzenegger, top BP executives to celebrate launch of $500 million biosciences energy research partnership with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, UC-Berkeley |publisher=Illinois.gov |date=February 1, 2007 |access-date=May 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526191007/http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=2&RecNum=5690 |archive-date=May 26, 2012}}

Tax is collected by the Illinois Department of Revenue. State income tax is calculated by multiplying net income by a flat rate. In 1990, that rate was set at 3%, but in 2010, the General Assembly voted for a temporary increase in the rate to 5%; the new rate went into effect on January 1, 2011; the personal income rate partially sunset on January 1, 2015, to 3.75%, while the corporate income tax fell to 5.25%.{{cite news |last=Pierog |first=Karen |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-illinois-budget-idUSTRE70A6GP20110112 |title=Illinois lawmakers pass big tax hike to aid budget |work=Reuters |date=January 12, 2011 |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514081335/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/12/us-illinois-budget-idUSTRE70A6GP20110112 |archive-date=May 14, 2012 |url-status=live}}Illinois Department of Revenue. [http://www.revenue.state.il.us/Businesses/TaxInformation/Income/individual.htm Individual Income Tax] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923131952/http://www.revenue.state.il.us/Businesses/TaxInformation/Income/individual.htm |date=September 23, 2006 }}. Retrieved January 30, 2011. Illinois failed to pass a budget from 2015 to 2017, after the 736-day budget impasse, a budget was passed in Illinois after lawmakers overturned Governor Bruce Rauner's veto; this budget raised the personal income rate to 4.95% and the corporate rate to 7%.{{Cite web |url=https://illinoiscomptroller.gov/financial-data/find-a-report/special-fiscal/consequences-of-illinois-2015-2017-budget-impasse-and-fiscal-outlook/ |title=Consequences of Illinois's 2015–2016 Budget Impasse and Fiscal Outlook |last=Mendoza |first=Susana |date=September 18, 2018 |website=Illinois Comptroller |access-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213161259/https://illinoiscomptroller.gov/financial-data/find-a-report/special-fiscal/consequences-of-illinois-2015-2017-budget-impasse-and-fiscal-outlook/ |archive-date=December 13, 2018 |url-status=dead}} There are two rates for state sales tax: 6.25% for general merchandise and 1% for qualifying food, drugs, and medical appliances.Illinois Department of Revenue. [http://www.revenue.state.il.us/Publications/Sales/strrm/04012008/ST-25.pdf Illinois Sales Tax Reference Manual (PDF)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527192755/http://www.revenue.state.il.us/Publications/Sales/strrm/04012008/ST-25.pdf |date=May 27, 2008 }}. p133. January 1, 2006. The property tax is a major source of tax revenue for local government taxing districts. The property tax is a local—not state—tax imposed by local government taxing districts, which include counties, townships, municipalities, school districts, and special taxation districts. The property tax in Illinois is imposed only on real property.

On May 1, 2019, the Illinois Senate voted to approve a constitutional amendment that would have stricken language from the Illinois Constitution requiring a flat state income tax, in a 73–44 vote. If approved, the amendment would have allowed the state legislature to impose a graduated income tax based on annual income. The governor, J. B. Pritzker, approved the bill on May 27, 2019. It was scheduled for a 2020 general election ballot vote{{cite web |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/5/27/18641670/graduated-income-tax-illinois-house-constitutional-amendment-2020-ballot |title=Graduated income tax question heads to ballot as House OKs constitutional amendment |last=Sfondeles |first=Tina |date=May 27, 2019 |website=www.chicagosuntimes.com |publisher=Chicago Sun Times |access-date=May 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530232705/https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/5/27/18641670/graduated-income-tax-illinois-house-constitutional-amendment-2020-ballot |archive-date=May 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2019/05/28/pritzkers-big-win-brady-munoz-stake-in-video-gambling-abortion-bill-fate-uncertain-440275 |title=PRITZKER's BIG WIN—BRADY, MUNOZ stake in video gambling—ABORTION BILL fate uncertain |last=Kapos |first=Shia |date=May 28, 2019 |publisher=Politico |access-date=May 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530233349/https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2019/05/28/pritzkers-big-win-brady-munoz-stake-in-video-gambling-abortion-bill-fate-uncertain-440275 |archive-date=May 30, 2019 |url-status=live}} and required 60 percent voter approval to effectively amend the state constitution.{{cite web |url=https://abc7chicago.com/politics/illinois-graduated-income-tax-plan-will-go-to-voters-bill-passes-house/5319069/ |title=Illinois graduated income tax plan will go to voters after Governor JB Pritzker's bill passes the State House |last=Wall |first=Craig |date=May 27, 2019 |website=abc7chicago.com |publisher=ABC 7 |access-date=May 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531001900/https://abc7chicago.com/politics/illinois-graduated-income-tax-plan-will-go-to-voters-bill-passes-house/5319069/ |archive-date=May 31, 2019 |url-status=dead}} The amendment was not approved by Illinoisans, with 55.1% of voters voting "No" on approval and 44.9% voting "Yes".{{Cite web |last=Wheeler |first=Kayla |title=Fair Tax Amendment fails in Illinois |url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/politics/elections/illinois-fair-tax-amendment-2020-election/63-bd67f26f-ab08-42da-b391-6ec75ca9c5b9 |access-date=January 9, 2021 |website=ksdk.com |date=November 4, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220153951/https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/politics/elections/illinois-fair-tax-amendment-2020-election/63-bd67f26f-ab08-42da-b391-6ec75ca9c5b9 |url-status=live }}

As of 2017 Chicago had the highest state and local sales tax rate for a U.S. city with a populations above 200,000, at 10.250%.{{cite web |last1=Walczak |first1=Jared |title=Sales Tax Rates in Major Cities, Midyear 2017 |url=https://taxfoundation.org/sales-tax-rates-major-cities-midyear-2017/ |website=Taxfoundation.org |publisher=Tax Foundation |access-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331204403/https://taxfoundation.org/sales-tax-rates-major-cities-midyear-2017/ |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |url-status=dead}} The state of Illinois has the second highest rate of real estate tax: 2.31%, which is second only to New Jersey at 2.44%.{{cite web |last1=Kiernan |first1=John S |title=2019's Property Taxes by State |url=https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-highest-and-lowest-property-taxes/11585/ |website=wallethub |publisher=Evolution Finance, Inc. |access-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331204633/https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-highest-and-lowest-property-taxes/11585/ |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |url-status=live}}

Toll roads are a de facto user tax on the citizens and visitors to the state of Illinois. Illinois ranks seventh out of the 11 states with the most miles of toll roads, at 282.1 miles. Chicago ranks fourth in most expensive toll roads in America by the mile, with the Chicago Skyway charging 51.2 cents per mile.{{cite web |title=Most Expensive Toll Roads in the United States |url=https://ezfreightfactoring.com/blog/expensive-toll-roads-united-states |website=ezfreightfactoring.com |publisher=EZ Freight Factoring |access-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331204623/https://ezfreightfactoring.com/blog/expensive-toll-roads-united-states |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |url-status=dead}} Illinois also has the 11th highest gasoline tax by state, at 37.5 cents per gallon.{{cite web |last1=Stebbins |first1=Samuel |title=How much gas tax adds to cost of filling up your car in every state |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/02/05/gas-tax-state-what-costs-fill-up-your-car-across-country/38908491/ |website=usatoday |publisher=24/7 Wall Street |access-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331204623/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/02/05/gas-tax-state-what-costs-fill-up-your-car-across-country/38908491/ |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |url-status=live}}

{{Main list|List of museums in Illinois}}

Illinois has numerous museums; the greatest concentration of these are in Chicago. Several museums in Chicago are ranked as some of the best in the world. These include the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, and the Museum of Science and Industry.

The modern Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield is the largest and most attended presidential library in the country. The Illinois State Museum boasts a collection of 13.5 million objects that tell the story of Illinois life, land, people, and art. The ISM is among only 5% of the nation's museums that are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Other historical museums in the state include the Polish Museum of America in Chicago; Magnolia Manor in Cairo; Easley Pioneer Museum in Ipava; the Elihu Benjamin Washburne; Ulysses S. Grant Homes, both in Galena; and the Chanute Air Museum, located on the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul.

The Chicago metropolitan area also hosts two zoos: The Brookfield Zoo, located about ten miles west of the city center in suburban Brookfield, contains more than 2,300 animals and covers {{cvt|216|acre}}. Lincoln Park Zoo is located in Lincoln Park on Chicago's North Side, approximately {{convert|3|mi|km}} north of the Loop. The zoo, including Nature Boardwalk, occupies {{cvt|49|acre}} of the park.

Vandalia-Courthouse.jpg|Vandalia State House State Historic Site in Vandalia

Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago).jpg|The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago

Magnolia Manor.jpg|Magnolia Manor is a Victorian period historic house museum in Cairo.

Lincoln Home 1.jpg|Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield

20070822 Polish Museum.JPG|The Polish Museum of America in Chicago

CBQ 1926 20050716 Illinois Railway Museum.jpg|A Railway Post Office preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union

{{Main|Music of Illinois}}

Illinois is a leader in music education, having hosted the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference since 1946, as well being home to the Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA, formerly IMEA), one of the largest professional music educator's organizations in the country. Each summer since 2004, Southern Illinois University Carbondale has played host to the Southern Illinois Music Festival, which presents dozens of performances throughout the region. Past featured artists include the Eroica Trio and violinist David Kim.

Chicago, in the northeast corner of the state, is a major center for music[http://www.centerstagechicago.com/music/ Centerstage Chicago] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708205635/http://www.centerstagechicago.com/music/ |date=July 8, 2008 }} Retrieved on September 18, 2008 in the midwestern United States where distinctive forms of blues (greatly responsible for the future creation of rock and roll), and house music, a genre of electronic dance music, were developed.

The Great Migration of poor black workers from the South into the industrial cities brought traditional jazz and blues music to the city, resulting in Chicago blues and "Chicago-style" Dixieland jazz. Notable blues artists included Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Howlin' Wolf and both Sonny Boy Williamsons; jazz greats included Nat King Cole, Gene Ammons, Benny Goodman, and Bud Freeman. Chicago is also well known for its soul music.

In the early 1930s, Gospel music began to gain popularity in Chicago due to Thomas A. Dorsey's contributions at Pilgrim Baptist Church.

In the 1980s and 1990s, heavy rock, punk, and hip hop also became popular in Chicago. Orchestras in Chicago include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Chicago Sinfonietta.[http://www.chicagosinfonietta.org/ Chicago Sinfonietta Website] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120120226/http://www.chicagosinfonietta.org/ |date=January 20, 2017 }}. Retrieved on November 7, 2008

John Hughes, who moved from Grosse Pointe to Northbrook, based many films of his in Chicago, and its suburbs. Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Home Alone, The Breakfast Club, and all his films take place in the fictional Shermer, Illinois (the original name of Northbrook was Shermerville, and Hughes's High School, Glenbrook North High School, is on Shermer Road). Most locations in his films include Glenbrook North, the former Maine North High School, the Ben Rose House in Highland Park, and the famous Home Alone house in Winnetka, Illinois.

{{Main list|List of protected areas of Illinois}}

File:Garden of the Gods Sunset.jpg, part of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois.]]

The Illinois state parks system began in 1908 with what is now Fort Massac State Park, becoming the first park in a system encompassing more than 60 parks and about the same number of recreational and wildlife areas.

Areas under the protection of the National Park Service include: the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor near Lockport,{{cite web |title=Illinois & Michigan Canal |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=July 15, 2008 |url=http://www.nps.gov/ilmi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726132500/http://www.nps.gov/ilmi |archive-date=July 26, 2008}} the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, the American Discovery Trail,{{cite web |title=Illinois |publisher=National Park Service |access-date = July 15, 2008 |url=http://www.nps.gov/state/il |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080705121254/http://www.nps.gov/state/il/ |archive-date = July 5, 2008 |url-status = live}} the Pullman National Monument, and New Philadelphia Town Site. The federal government also manages the Shawnee National Forest and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

{{Main list|List of professional sports teams in Illinois}}

File:Soldier field 2006.jpg is home to the National Football League's Chicago Bears]]

File:Wrigley field 720.jpg is home to Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs]]

As one of the United States' major metropolises, all major sports leagues have teams headquartered in Chicago.

Two Major League Baseball teams are located in the state. The Chicago Cubs of the National League play in the second-oldest major league stadium, Wrigley Field, and went the longest length of time without a championship in all of major American sport, from 1908 to 2016, when they won the World Series.{{cite news |author=Mark McGuire Commentary |url=http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Long-look-at-Top-10-title-droughts-558915.php |title=Long look at Top 10 title droughts |newspaper=Times Union |date=June 12, 2010 |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220080756/http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Long-look-at-Top-10-title-droughts-558915.php |archive-date=February 20, 2011 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/404001-longest-playoff-droughts-in-the-major-sports |title=The Longest Running Title Droughts in Sports |website=Bleacher Report |date=June 10, 2010 |access-date=February 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708013740/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/404001-longest-playoff-droughts-in-the-major-sports |archive-date=July 8, 2011}} The Chicago White Sox of the American League won the World Series in 2005, their first since 1917. They play on the city's south side at Rate Field. The Chicago Bears football team has won nine total NFL Championships, the last occurring in Super Bowl XX on January 26, 1986. The Chicago Bulls of the NBA is one of the most recognized basketball teams in the world, largely as a result of the efforts of Michael Jordan, who led the team to six NBA championships in eight seasons in the 1990s. The Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL began playing in 1926 and became a member of the Original Six once the NHL dropped to that number of teams during World War II. The Blackhawks have won six Stanley Cups, most recently in 2015. Chicago Fire FC is a member of MLS and has been one of the league's most successful and best-supported clubs since its founding in 1997, winning one league and four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups in that timespan. The team played in Bridgeview, adjacent to Chicago from 2006 to 2019. The team now plays at Soldier Field in Chicago.

The Chicago Red Stars have played at the top level of U.S. women's soccer since their formation in 2009, except in the 2011 season. The team currently plays in the National Women's Soccer League, playing at SeatGeek Stadium, the Bridgeview venue it formerly shared with Fire FC. The Chicago Sky have played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) since 2006. The Sky won their first WNBA Championship in 2021. They play at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The Chicago Bandits of the NPF, a women's softball league, have won four league titles, most recently in 2016. They play at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois, in the Chicago area.

Many minor league teams also call Illinois their home. They include the Bloomington Edge of the Indoor Football League, Bloomington Flex of the Midwest Professional Basketball Association, Chicago Dogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball, Chicago Fire FC II of MLS Next Pro, Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League, Kane County Cougars of the American Association, Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League, Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League, Peoria Rivermen of the SPHL, Rockford Aviators of the Frontier League, Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League, Southern Illinois Miners in the Frontier League, Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League, and Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League.

The state features 13 athletic programs that compete in NCAA Division I, the highest level of U.S. college sports. The two most prominent are the Illinois Fighting Illini and Northwestern Wildcats, both members of the Big Ten Conference and the only ones competing in the "Power Five conferences". The Fighting Illini football team has won five national championships and three Rose Bowl Games, whereas the men's basketball team has won 17 conference seasons and played five Final Fours. Meanwhile, the Wildcats have won eight football conference championships and one Rose Bowl Game. The Northern Illinois Huskies compete in the Mid-American Conference, having won four conference championships and earning a bid in the Orange Bowl. Four schools have football programs that compete in the second level of Division I football, the Football Championship Subdivision. The Illinois State Redbirds and Southern Illinois Salukis are members of the Missouri Valley Conference for non-football sports and the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Eastern Illinois Panthers and Western Illinois Leathernecks are members of the Ohio Valley Conference. The city of Chicago is home to four Division I programs that do not sponsor football: the DePaul Blue Demons of the Big East Conference, Loyola Ramblers of the Atlantic 10 Conference, UIC Flames of the Missouri Valley Conference, and Chicago State Cougars of the Northeast Conference. Finally, two non-football Division I programs are located downstate. The Bradley Braves are Missouri Valley Conference members, and the SIU Edwardsville Cougars compete in the Ohio Valley Conference.

File:Nascar 1.jpg at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison]]

Motor racing oval tracks at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, the Chicago Motor Speedway in Cicero and the Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, near St. Louis, have hosted NASCAR, CART, and IRL races, whereas the Sports Car Club of America, among other national and regional road racing clubs, have visited the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, the Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit and the former Meadowdale International Raceway in Carpentersville. Illinois also has several short tracks and dragstrips. The dragstrip at Gateway International Raceway and the Route 66 Raceway, which sits on the same property as the Chicagoland Speedway, both host NHRA drag races.

Illinois features several golf courses, such as Olympia Fields, Medinah, Midlothian, Cog Hill, and Conway Farms, which have often hosted the BMW Championship, Western Open, and Women's Western Open. Also, the state has hosted 13 editions of the U.S. Open (latest at Olympia Fields in 2003), six editions of the PGA Championship (latest at Medinah in 2006), three editions of the U.S. Women's Open (latest at The Merit Club), the 2009 Solheim Cup (at Rich Harvest Farms), and the 2012 Ryder Cup (at Medinah). The John Deere Classic is a regular PGA Tour event played in the Quad Cities since 1971, whereas the Encompass Championship is a Champions Tour event since 2013. Previously, the LPGA State Farm Classic was an LPGA Tour event from 1976 to 2011.

{{Main|Law of Illinois|Politics of Illinois}}

In a 2020 study, Illinois was ranked as the 4th easiest state for citizens to vote in.{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=15 Dec 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free | issn=1533-1296}}

{{Main|Government of Illinois}}

File:Gfp-illinois-springfield-capitol-and-sky.jpg in Springfield]]

The government of Illinois, under the Constitution of Illinois, has three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch is split into several statewide elected offices, with the governor as chief executive. Legislative functions are granted to the Illinois General Assembly. The judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court and lower courts.

The executive branch is composed of six elected officers and their offices as well as numerous other departments. The six elected officers are: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer. The government of Illinois has numerous departments, agencies, boards and commissions, but the so-called code departments provide most of the state's services.{{cite book |title=Governing Illinois: Your Connection to State and Local Government |chapter=The Governor and the Executive Branch |pages=78–79 |first=Judy Lee |last=Uphoff |editor1-first=Nancy S. |editor1-last=Lind |editor2-first=Erik |editor2-last=Rankin |edition=4th |publisher=Center Publications, Center for State Policy and Leadership, University of Illinois Springfield |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-938943-28-0|chapter-url=http://illinoisissues.uis.edu/images/Chapter5Draft.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622010608/http://illinoisissues.uis.edu/images/Chapter5Draft.pdf |archive-date=June 22, 2013}}{{ILCS|20|5}}

File:Illinois House of Representatives.jpg]]

The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature, composed of the 118-member Illinois House of Representatives and the 59-member Illinois Senate. The members of the General Assembly are elected at the beginning of each even-numbered year. The Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) are the codified statutes of a general and permanent nature.{{cite book |title=Illinois Criminal Law: A Survey of Crimes and Defenses |first1=John F. |last1=Decker |first2=Christopher |last2=Kopacz |year=2012 |edition=5th |publisher=LexisNexis |isbn=978-0-7698-5284-3 |url={{Google books|l2I_8OvYAVYC |page=PT24 |keywords= |text= |plainurl=yes}}|at=§ 1.01}}{{cite book |title=Tapping State Government Information Sources |page=126 |first1=Lori L. |last1=Smith |first2=Daniel C. |last2=Barkley |first3=Daniel C. |last3=Cornwall |first4=Eric W. |last4=Johnson |first5=J. Louise |last5=Malcomb |year=2003 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-57356-387-1 |lccn=2002044846 |url={{Google books|4zo-J7chfmMC |page=PA126 |keywords= |text= |plainurl=yes}}}}

The Judiciary of Illinois is the unified court system of Illinois. It consists of the Supreme Court, Appellate Court, and Circuit Courts. The Supreme Court oversees the administration of the court system.

The administrative divisions of Illinois are counties, townships, precincts, cities, towns, villages, and special-purpose districts.{{citation |title=Individual State Descriptions: 2007 |series=2007 Census of Governments |date=November 2012 |pages=89–97 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |url=http://www2.census.gov/govs/cog/isd_book.pdf |ref={{harvid|Census|2007}} |access-date=March 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123173109/http://www2.census.gov/govs/cog/isd_book.pdf |archive-date=November 23, 2015 |url-status=live}} The basic subdivision of Illinois are the 102 counties.{{sfn|Census|2007|p=89}} Eighty-five of the 102 counties are in turn divided into townships and precincts.{{sfn|Census|2007|p=89}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ilsos.gov/isa/localgovnameindexsrch.jsp |title=Name Index to Illinois Local Governments |author=Illinois Regional Archives Depository System |website=Illinois State Archives |publisher=Illinois Secretary of State| access-date = November 11, 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131110230747/http://www.ilsos.gov/isa/localgovnameindexsrch.jsp| archive-date = November 10, 2013| url-status = live}} Municipal governments are the cities, villages, and incorporated towns.{{sfn|Census|2007|p=89}} Some localities possess home rule, which allows them to govern themselves to a certain extent.{{cite book |title=Illinois Politics & Government: The Expanding Metropolitan Frontier |first1=Samuel Kimball |last1=Gove |first2=James Dunlap |last2=Nowlan |year=1996 |series=Politics and Governments of the American States |pages=155–156 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0-8032-7014-5 |lccn=95046017 |location=Lincoln |url={{Google books|9JFP49qn_wUC |page=PA156 |keywords= |text= |plainurl=yes}}}}

File:Governor JB Pritzker official portrait 2019 (crop).jpg (D)]]

In modern national and state politics, Illinois is a Democratic stronghold.{{cite web |last=McClelland |first=Edward |url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Illinois-The-Most-Democratic-State-126772408.html |title=Illinois: The Most Democratic State |publisher=NBC Chicago |date=August 4, 2011 |access-date=December 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313040549/http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Illinois-The-Most-Democratic-State-126772408.html |archive-date=March 13, 2017 |url-status=live}} Historically, Illinois was a political swing state, with near-parity existing between the Republican and the Democratic parties. However, in recent elections, the Democratic Party has gained ground, and Illinois has come to be seen as a solid "blue" state in both presidential and congressional campaigns.{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0716/p01s01-uspo.html |title=Suburb shift turns state blue / The Christian Science Monitor |publisher=CSMonitor.com |date=July 16, 2004 |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716022620/http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0716/p01s01-uspo.html |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |url-status=live}}{{cite news | title = Illinois a blue island in red sea | author-first = Russell | author-last = Working | newspaper = Chicago Tribune | date = 2004-11-08 | pages = [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-illinois-a-blue-island-i/126633609/ 1-1], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-politics-but-even-in-il/126633660/ 1-15] | via = Newspapers.com }} Illinois's Democratic tendencies are mostly attributable to Cook County and Chicago, by far the state's largest county and city, respectively, which have long been strongly Democratic. The collar counties, affluent suburban counties that surround Cook County, were ancestrally Republican and helped keep the state competitive; however, they have swung toward the left in recent elections as the national Republican Party has become increasingly conservative, which has cemented Democratic dominance in state politics.{{Cite web |date=March 17, 2020 |title=Illinois primary live results |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/politics/illinois-primary-results-live/index.html |access-date=July 7, 2024 |website= |publisher=CNN |language=en}} Outside of the Chicago metropolitan area, the state's rural areas are heavily Republican. The dominance of the Chicago area in state elections is so overwhelming that it has influenced a secessionist movement in the downstate region.{{Cite web |last=McClelland |first=Edward |date=October 15, 2020 |title=If Downstate Illinois Seceded |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/October-2020/Illinois-Secession/ |access-date=July 14, 2020 |website=Chicago Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028223448/http://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/October-2020/Illinois-Secession/ |url-status=dead }}

Illinois was long seen as a national bellwether,{{cite web |url-status=live |url=http://www.lib.niu.edu/1990/ii900209.html |title=Illinois as a bellwether: So what? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194005/http://www.lib.niu.edu/1990/ii900209.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date= July 21, 2013 |first1=David H. |last1=Everson |date=February 1990 |work=Illinois Issues |publisher=Illinois Periodicals Online at Northern Illinois University }} supporting the winner in every election in the 20th century, except for 1916 and 1976. Since the 1992 election, however, Illinois has trended more toward the Democratic Party and is part of the "blue wall" of states that have consistently voted Democratic in the last six presidential elections. In 2000, George W. Bush became the first Republican to win the presidency without carrying either Illinois or Vermont, with Donald Trump repeating the feat in 2016. Illinois has not elected a Republican to the Senate since Mark Kirk won in 2010; the last Republicans to hold statewide office were Governor Bruce Rauner and Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, who both left office in 2019.

{{Main|Political corruption in Illinois}}

Politics in the state have been infamous for highly visible corruption cases, as well as for crusading reformers, such as governors Adlai Stevenson and James R. Thompson. In 2006, former governor George Ryan was convicted of racketeering and bribery, leading to a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence. On December 7, 2011, former governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison for allegations that he conspired to sell the vacated Senate seat left by President Barack Obama to the highest bidder. Blagojevich had earlier been impeached and convicted by the legislature, resulting in his removal from office. In the late 20th century, Congressman Dan Rostenkowski was imprisoned for mail fraud; former governor and federal judge Otto Kerner, Jr. was imprisoned for bribery; Secretary of State Paul Powell was investigated and found to have gained great wealth through bribes, and State Auditor of Public Accounts (Comptroller) Orville Hodge was imprisoned for embezzlement. In 1912, William Lorimer, the GOP boss of Chicago, was expelled from the U.S. Senate for bribery, and in 1921, Governor Len Small was found to have defrauded the state of a million dollars.{{cite book |title=Grafters and Goo Goos: corruption and reform in Chicago, 1833–2003 |last=Merriner |first=James L. |year=2004 |publisher=Southern Illinois University Press |location=Carbondale |isbn=978-0-8093-2571-9 |oclc=52720998}}

{{Main|United States presidential elections in Illinois}}

Illinois has shown a strong presence in presidential elections. Three presidents have claimed Illinois as their political base when running for president: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and most recently Barack Obama. Lincoln was born in Kentucky, but he moved to Illinois at age 21. He served in the General Assembly and represented the 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives before his election to the presidency in 1860. Ulysses S. Grant was born in Ohio and had a military career that precluded settling down, but on the eve of the Civil War and approaching middle age, he moved to Illinois and thus utilized the state as his home and political base when running for president. Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and made Illinois his home after graduating from law school, and later represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate. He then became president in 2008, running as a candidate from his Illinois base.

Ronald Reagan was born in Illinois, in the city of Tampico, raised in Dixon, Illinois, and educated at Eureka College, outside Peoria. Reagan later moved to California during his young adulthood. He then became an actor, and later became California's Governor before being elected president.

Hillary Clinton was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and became the first woman to represent a major political party in the general election of the U.S. presidency. Clinton ran from a platform based in New York State.

Twelve African-Americans have served as members of the United States Senate. Of which three have represented Illinois, the most of any single state: Carol Moseley-Braun,{{cite web |url=https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/M/MOSELEY-BRAUN,-Carol-(M001025)/ |title=Moseley Braun, Carol |website=History, Art & Archives |publisher=United States House of Representatives |access-date=October 6, 2020 |archive-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003204047/https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/M/MOSELEY-BRAUN,-Carol-(M001025)/ |url-status=live }} Barack Obama,{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/h_multi_sections_and_teasers/Photo_Exhibit_African_American_Senators.htm |title=U.S. Senate: Art & History Home |publisher=Senate.gov |access-date=February 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702035451/https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/h_multi_sections_and_teasers/Photo_Exhibit_African_American_Senators.htm |archive-date=July 2, 2018 |url-status=live}} and Roland Burris, who was appointed to replace Obama after his election to the presidency. Moseley-Braun was the first African-American woman to become a U.S. Senator.

Several families from Illinois have played particularly prominent roles in politics, in both the Republican Party earlier in the state's history but more recently the Democratic Party, gaining both statewide and national fame.

The Ingersoll family of Illinois comprised a pair of brothers who held several prominent elected positions representing Illinois.

• Ebon C. Ingersoll (1831–1879), Illinois State Representative 1856, U.S. Representative from Illinois 1864–71. Brother of Robert G. Ingersoll.[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ingersoll.html#R9M0J1NQG The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Ingersoll]
• Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–1899), Illinois State Representative 1860, Attorney General of Illinois 1867–69, delegate to the Republican National Convention 1876. Brother of Ebon C. Ingersoll.[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ingersoll.html#RNJ1EIUZL The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Ingersoll]
• John C. Ingersoll (1860–1903), U.S. Consul in Cartagena, Colombia 1902. Son of Ebon C. Ingersoll.[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ingersoll.html#0YY0K9G5O The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Ingersoll]

The Stevenson family, initially rooted in central Illinois and later based in the Chicago metropolitan area, has provided four generations of Illinois officeholders.

• Adlai Stevenson I (1835–1914) was a Vice President of the United States, as well as a Congressman
• Lewis Stevenson (1868–1929), son of Adlai, served as Illinois Secretary of State.
• Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965), son of Lewis, served as Governor of Illinois and as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; he was also the Democratic party's presidential nominee in 1952 and 1956, losing both elections to Dwight Eisenhower.
• Adlai Stevenson III (1930–2021), son of Adlai II, served ten years as a United States Senator.

The Daley family's powerbase was in Chicago.

• Richard J. Daley (1902–1976) served as Mayor of Chicago from 1955 to his death.
• Richard M. Daley (born 1942), son of Richard J, was Chicago's longest-serving mayor, in office from 1989 to 2011.
• William M. Daley (born 1948), another son of Richard J, is a former White House Chief of Staff and has served in a variety of appointed positions.

The Pritzker family is based in Chicago and have played important roles in both the private and the public sectors.

• Jay Pritzker (1922–1999), co-founder of Hyatt Hotel based in Chicago.
• Penny Pritzker (born 1959), 38th United States Secretary of Commerce under President Barack Obama.
• J. B. Pritzker (born 1965), current and 43rd governor of Illinois and co-founder of the Pritzker Group.

Members of the Madigan family have held extensive influence in Illinois politics.

• Michael Madigan (born 1942), longtime speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and notorious political boss.
• Lisa Madigan (born 1966), adopted daughter of Michael Madigan, former Illinois Attorney General.

{{multiple image

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| image1 = Alex MacLean 2005 campus with cityscape.jpg

| caption1 = Campus of the University of Chicago

| image2 = Foellinger Auditorium University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign closer.jpg

| caption2 = Foellinger Auditorium at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

}}

{{Main|Illinois State Board of Education}}

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is autonomous of the governor and the state legislature, and administers public education in the state. Local municipalities and their respective school districts operate individual public schools, but the ISBE audits performance of public schools with the Illinois School Report Card. The ISBE also makes recommendations to state leaders concerning education spending and policies.

{{See also|List of school districts in Illinois|List of high schools in Illinois}}

Education is compulsory for ages 7–17 in Illinois. Schools are commonly, but not exclusively, divided into three tiers of primary and secondary education: elementary school, middle school or junior high school, and high school. District territories are often complex in structure. Many areas in the state are actually located in two school districts—one for high school and the other for elementary and middle schools. And such districts do not necessarily share boundaries. A given high school may have several elementary districts that feed into it, yet some of those feeder districts may themselves feed into multiple high school districts.

{{Main list|List of colleges and universities in Illinois}}

Using the criterion established by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, there are eleven "National Universities" in the state.

{{As of|2010|8|19}}, six of these rank in the "first tier" among the top 500 National Universities in the nation, as determined by the U.S. News & World Report rankings: the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Loyola University Chicago, the Illinois Institute of Technology, DePaul University, University of Illinois Chicago, Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Northern Illinois University.{{cite web |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-universities-rankings/state+IL |title=Best Colleges 2010—National Universities Rankings |date=August 19, 2009 |access-date=May 31, 2016 |website=U.S. News & World Report |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105090520/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-universities-rankings/state+IL |archive-date=January 5, 2011 |url-status=live}} The University of Chicago is continuously ranked as one of the world's top ten universities on various independent university rankings, and its Booth School of Business, along with Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management consistently rank within the top five graduate business schools in the country and top ten globally. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is often ranked among the best engineering schools in the world and United States.

Illinois also has more than twenty additional accredited four-year universities, both public and private, and dozens of small liberal arts colleges across the state. Additionally, Illinois supports 49 public community colleges in the Illinois Community College System.

Schools in Illinois are funded primarily by property taxes, based on state assessment of property values, rather than direct state contributions. Scholar Tracy Steffes has described Illinois public education as historically "inequitable", a system where one of "the wealthiest of states" is "the stingiest in its support for education". There have been several attempts to reform school funding in Illinois. The most notable attempt came in 1973 with the adoption of the Illinois Resource Equalizer Formula, a measure through which it was hoped funding could be collected and distributed to Illinois schools more equitably. However, opposition from affluent Illinois communities who objected to having to pay for the less well-off school districts (many of them Black majority communities, produced by redlining, white flight, and other "soft" segregation methods) resulted in the formula's abolition in the late 1980s.{{cite journal |last1=Steffes |first1=Tracy L. |title=Assessment Matters: The Rise and Fall of the Illinois Resource Equalizer Formula |journal=History of Education Quarterly |date=February 2020 |volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=24–57 |doi=10.1017/heq.2020.7 |s2cid=216496825}}

{{See also|List of Illinois Routes}}

Because of its central location and its proximity to the Rust Belt and Grain Belt, Illinois is a national crossroads for air, auto, rail, and truck traffic.

{{See also|List of airports in Illinois}}

File:Concourse B, Chicago O'Hare airport.jpg, one of the world's busiest airports]]

From 1962 until 1998, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) was the busiest airport in the world, measured both in terms of total flights and passengers. While it was surpassed by Atlanta's Hartsfield in 1998 (as Chicago splits its air traffic between O'Hare and Midway airports, while Atlanta uses only one airport), with 59.3 million domestic passengers annually, along with 11.4 million international passengers in 2008,{{cite web |title=O'Hare International Airport Activity Statistics |url=http://www.flychicago.com/Statistics/stats/1208ORDSUMMARY-REVISED.pdf |publisher=City of Chicago: FlyChicago.com |date=March 27, 2009 |access-date=April 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101054630/http://flychicago.com/Statistics/stats/1208ORDSUMMARY-REVISED.pdf |archive-date=January 1, 2010 |df=mdy-all}} O'Hare consistently remains one of the two or three busiest airports globally, and in some years still ranks number one in total flights. It is a major hub for both United Airlines and American Airlines, and a major airport expansion project is currently underway. Midway Airport (MDW), which had been the busiest airport in the world at one point until it was supplanted by O'Hare as the busiest airport in 1962, is now the secondary airport in the Chicago metropolitan area and still ranks as one of the nation's busiest airports. Midway is a major hub for Southwest Airlines and services many other carriers as well. Midway served 17.3 million domestic and international passengers in 2008.{{cite web |title=Midway Airport Activity Statistics |url=http://www.flychicago.com/Statistics/stats/1208SUMMARYRevised.pdf |website=FlyChicago.com |publisher=City of Chicago |date=January 30, 2009 |access-date=April 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101054737/http://flychicago.com/Statistics/stats/1208SUMMARYRevised.pdf |archive-date=January 1, 2010}}

{{Main|List of Interstate Highways in Illinois|List of U.S. Highways in Illinois}}

File:Welcome to Illinois Sign - US67 Rock Island (44320554331).jpg in Rock Island]]

The Interstate Highways in Illinois are all segments of the Interstate Highway System that are owned and maintained by the state.{{Cite web |url=https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/interstate-system/50th-anniversary/interstate-frequently-asked-questions |title=Interstate Frequently Asked Questions—50th Anniversary—Interstate System—Highway History—Federal Highway Administration |website=Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) |access-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154101/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/interstate/faq.cfm |url-status=live }} Major U.S. Interstate highways crossing the state include: Interstate 24 (I-24), I-39, I-41, I-55, I-57, I-64, I-70, I-72, I-74, I-80, I-88, I-90, and I-94.

Illinois has the distinction of having the most primary (two-digit) interstates pass through it among all the 50 states with 13. Illinois also ranks third among the fifty states with the most interstate mileage, coming in after California and Texas, which are much bigger states in area.{{cite web |url=http://www.interstate-guide.com/state-index.html |title=Interstates by State |publisher=Interstate-Guide |date=February 2, 2016 |access-date=February 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301091838/http://www.interstate-guide.com/state-index.html |archive-date=March 1, 2016 |url-status=dead}}

File:IllinoisLicensePlates.jpg

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is responsible for maintaining the U.S Highways in Illinois. The system in Illinois consists of 21 primary highways. Among the U.S. highways that pass through the state, the primary ones are: US 6, US 12, US 14, US 20, US 24, US 30, US 34, US 36, US 40, US 41, US 45, US 50, US 51, US 52, US 54, US 60, US 62, and US 67.

{{See also|List of intercity bus stops in Illinois}}

Due to its central location, Illinois sees numerous intercity bus services primarily connecting east and west. The Chicago Bus Station is the busiest intercity bus station in the state. The following carriers provide scheduled service: Amtrak Thruway, Barons Bus Lines, Burlington Trailways, Flixbus, Greyhound Lines, Indian Trails, Miller Transportation (Hoosier Ride), Peoria Charter Coach Company, Van Galder Bus Company, and Wisconsin Coach Lines.

{| class="collapsible uncollapsed" style="border:1px #aaa solid; width:50em; margin:0.2em auto"

|-

! Local transit map

|-

|{{Location map+ |Illinois |width=600 |float=center

|caption=Local Transit Systems (Only systems with fixed-route services are shown)

|places=

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=42.490878|long=-88.989627|position=bottom |label=Beloit Transit|label_size=90|mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=40.310613|long=-88.157375|position=left |label=C-CARTS|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=40.116288|long=-88.241830|position=bottom |label=MTD|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=41.883258|long=-87.630168|position=top |label=Chicago Transit Authority|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=39.492000|long=-88.267348|position=right |label=Coles County Zipline|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=40.509127|long=-88.984559|position=bottom |label=Connect Transit|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=40.126363|long=-87.628600|position=left |label=DMT|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=39.843411|long=-88.952125|position=bottom |label=DPTS|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=41.929663|long=-88.746312|position=left |label=DeKalb Public Transit|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=40.947491|long=-90.367992|position=bottom |label=Galesburg Transit|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=40.462073|long=-90.670187|position=bottom |label=Go West Transit|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=40.689406|long=-89.593388|position=bottom |label=CityLink|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=37.764334|long=-89.336658|position=top |label=JCMTD|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=37.724086|long=-89.216567|position=bottom |label=Saluki Express|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=37.729364|long=-88.927212|position=bottom |label=RMTD|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=38.893661|long=-90.186293|position=top |label=Madison County Transit|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=41.493269|long=-90.527848|position=bottom |label=MetroLINK|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=41.899716|long=-87.940336|position=bottom |label=Pace|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=39.930614|long=-91.404490|position=right |label=Quincy Transit Lines|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=41.122909|long=-87.863392|position=bottom |label=River Valley Metro|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=42.272756|long=-89.097266|position=left |label=RMTD|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=38.521568|long=-89.974614|position=right |label=SCCTD|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=39.800531|long=-89.641155|position=left |label=SMTD|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=40.880322|long=-88.629727|position=left |label=SHOW Bus|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=38.527975|long=-89.134188|position=right |label=South Central Transit|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=38.442910|long=-90.199766|position=bottom |label=MRTD|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=37.738372|long=-88.532671|position=bottom |label=RMTD|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

{{Location map~ |Illinois |lat=40.147864|long=-89.363148|position=bottom |label=SHOW Bus|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}

}}

|}

{{See also|List of Illinois railroads}}

File:Wikipedia Map Final Draft.pdf

Illinois has an extensive passenger and freight rail transportation network. Chicago is a national Amtrak hub and in-state passengers are served by Amtrak's Illinois Service, featuring the Chicago to Carbondale Illini and Saluki, the Chicago to Quincy Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr, and the Chicago to St. Louis Lincoln Service. Currently there is trackwork on the Chicago–St. Louis line to bring the maximum speed up to {{cvt|110|mph}}, which would reduce the trip time by an hour and a half. Nearly every North American railway meets at Chicago (including all six Class I railroads), making it the largest and most active rail hub in the country. Extensive heavy rail service is provided in the city proper and some immediate suburbs by the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system. One of the largest suburban commuter rail system in the United States, operated by Metra, uses existing rail lines to provide direct commuter rail access for hundreds of suburbs to the city and beyond.

{{See also|Category:Illinois waterways}}

In addition to the state's rail lines, the Mississippi River and Illinois River provide major transportation routes for the state's agricultural interests. Lake Michigan gives Illinois access to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

{{portal|Illinois|United States}}

• Index of Illinois-related articles
• List of people from Illinois
• Outline of Illinois
• USS Illinois, 4 ships

{{notelist}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite book |title=Illinois: its history & legacy |last1=Bridges |first1=Roger D. |last2=Davis |first2=Rodney O. |year=1984 |publisher=River City Publishers |location=St. Louis |isbn=978-0-933150-86-7 |oclc=11814096}}
• {{cite book |title=The era of the Civil War, 1848–1870 |last=Cole |first=Arthur Charles |year=1987|orig-year= 1919 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |location=Urbana |isbn=978-0-252-01339-3 |oclc=14130434}}
• {{Cite book |last=Davis |first=James E. |title=Frontier Illinois |year=1998 |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington |isbn=978-0-253-33423-7 |oclc=39182546}}
• {{Cite book |author1=Grossman, James R. |author2=Keating, Ann Durkin |author3=Reiff, Janice L. |title=Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago |year=2005 |orig-year=2004 |edition=Online |publisher=Chicago Historical Society, Newberry Library |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-31015-2 |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/ |access-date=January 28, 2009 |oclc=60342627 |archive-date=June 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617205553/http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite book |title=Illinois literature: the nineteenth century |editor=Hallwas, John E. |year=1986 |publisher=Illinois Heritage Press |location=Macomb |oclc=14228886}}
• {{Cite book |last=Howard |first=Robert P. |title=Illinois; a history of the Prairie State |year=1972 |publisher=W. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co |location=Grand Rapids |isbn=978-0-8028-7025-4 |oclc=495362 |url=https://archive.org/details/illinoishistoryo0000howa }}
• {{Cite book |last=Jensen |first=Richard E. |title=Illinois: a history |year=2001 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |location=Urbana |isbn=978-0-252-07021-1 |oclc=46769728}}
• {{Cite book |last=Keiser |first=John H. |title=Building for the centuries: Illinois, 1865 to 1898 |year=1977 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |location=Urbana |isbn=978-0-252-00617-3 |oclc=2798051 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/buildingforcentu0000keis }}
• {{cite book |title=Illinois; History, government, geography |url=https://archive.org/details/illinoishistoryg00kild |last1=Kilduff |first1=Dorrell |last2=Pygman |first2=C. H. |year=1962 |publisher=Follett |location=Chicago |oclc=5223888 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Kleppner |first=Paul |title=Political atlas of Illinois |year=1988 |publisher=Northern Illinois University Press |location=DeKalb |isbn=978-0-87580-136-0 |oclc=16755435}}
• {{Cite book |last=Meyer |first=Douglas K. |title=Making the heartland quilt: a geographical history of settlement and migration in early-nineteenth-century Illinois |year=2000 |publisher=Southern Illinois University Press |location=Carbondale |isbn=978-0-585-37905-0 |url=https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=65659204 |oclc=48139026 |access-date=September 1, 2017 |archive-date=May 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525091131/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=65659204 |url-status=live }}
• {{cite book |title=Illinois Politics: A Citizen's Guide |last1=Nowlan |first1=James D. |last2=Gove |first2=Samuel K. |last3=Winkel |first3=Richard J. |year=2010 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |location=Urbana |isbn=978-0-252-07702-9}}
• {{Cite book |last=Sutton |first=Robert P. |title=The Prairie State; a documentary history of Illinois |year=1976 |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids |isbn=978-0-8028-1651-1 |oclc=2603998 |url=https://archive.org/details/prairiestatedocu0002unse }}
• {{Cite book |last=Walton |first=Clyde C. |title=An Illinois reader |year=1970 |publisher=Northern Illinois University Press |location=DeKalb |isbn=978-0-87580-014-1 |oclc=89905 |url=https://archive.org/details/illinoisreader0000unse }}
• {{Cite book |last=Works Progress Administration |author-link=Works Progress Administration |title=The WPA guide to Illinois: the Federal Writers' Project guide to 1930s Illinois |year=1983 |orig-year=1939 |publisher=Pantheon Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-394-72195-8 |oclc=239788752 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/wpaguidetoillino00unit }}

{{refend}}

{{Sister project links|Illinois|voy=Illinois}}

• {{official website}}
• [https://guides.loc.gov/illinois-state-guide Illinois: State Resource Guide, from the Library of Congress] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810001229/https://guides.loc.gov/illinois-state-guide |date=August 10, 2022 }}
• {{OSM relation|122586}}
• [https://www.enjoyillinois.com Illinois Office of Tourism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713051608/https://www.enjoyillinois.com/ |date=July 13, 2021 }}
• [https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=IL Illinois - State Energy Profile Overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628165412/https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=IL |date=June 28, 2021 }} U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
• [https://data.ers.usda.gov/reports.aspx?StateFIPS=17&StateName=Illinois&ID=17854 State Fact Sheets: Illinois] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712002854/https://data.ers.usda.gov/reports.aspx?StateFIPS=17&StateName=Illinois&ID=17854 |date=July 12, 2021 }} USDA's Economic Research Service
• [https://www.usgs.gov/states/illinois?qt-states_l2_landing_page_tabs=0#qt-states_l2_landing_page_tabs USGS Central Midwest Water Science Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712004406/https://www.usgs.gov/states/illinois?qt-states_l2_landing_page_tabs=0#qt-states_l2_landing_page_tabs |date=July 12, 2021 }}

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