This is the fifth annual Report on Illinois Poverty. Since the 2000 report, poverty has both steadily increased and deepened. Illinois has 31% more people living in poverty than it did five years ago, amounting to an additional 373,000 people, larger than the population of St. Louis. Two years into the economic recovery Illinoisans are still confronted with high unemployment and sluggish job growth, and in 2003 Illinois experienced more layoffs than any other state in the nation. **In addition to a poor employment situation, Illinoisans are experiencing health care, housing, and transportation cost increases, making it increasingly difficult to meet basic needs. **This report looks at how population, economic, and basic needs issues are being affected by poverty in Illinois. Being aware of the problems people who are living in poverty face is the first step to understanding what solutions are best suited for the many different groups of people in Illinois. Promoting the development of economically stable communities within Illinois is in the best interest of the state as stable communities are healthier, more productive, and safer. We need to address these issues now so that in another five years, Illinois can boast a significant decrease in poverty.
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
This eighth Report on Illinois Poverty comes at a unique moment of barriers and opportunities. A moment when the state of Illinois holds the distinction of having the worst budget deficit in the nation for 4 years running. Yet, it is also a moment when people across the United States are talking about poverty as a threat to our well-being, when leaders are proposing solutions, and when communities are taking important steps to decrease hardship. **As you read this report, you will see how Illinois families struggle to achieve or maintain economic stability. Negative economic shifts including stagnating wages and rising costs have taken their toll on people across Illinois, hitting those with the least to start with the hardest. But there is hope. There is a movement stirring throughout the country to act now to address poverty. With this momentum building and new collective efforts in Illinois, we can eliminate the poverty that deprives people of their human rights.
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Creating a State of Opportunity
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
An initiative of
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge these funders whose generous support made this report possible:
The Chicago Community Trust
Chicago Foundation for Women
Additional support for Heartland Alliance’s economic security initiatives is provided by:
Grand Victoria Foundation
The Joyce Foundation
Mertz-Gilmore Foundation
Woods Fund of Chicago
The Illinois Poverty Summit is a project of the Mid-America
Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs &
Human Rights. Heartland Alliance is a service-based human
rights organization that provides housing, health care, human
services, and human rights protections to the most poor and
vulnerable people in our society.
This report was produced independently of the Illinois Poverty
Summit Steering Committee and is intended to stimulate
dialogue about anti-poverty initiatives in the state. The policy
recommendations in this report have been developed by
Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights and
do not necessarily reflect the views of members of the Illinois
Poverty Summit Steering Committee.
Research led by Amy Terpstra with support from Maureen Ryan and Amy Rynell – Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance
Written by Amy Rynell and Amy Terpstra – Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance
Design and print by Graphix Products, Inc.
Our thanks to Gina Guillemette, Chris Giangreco, and Doug Schenkelberg of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights;
Maneesha Date Jacoby of Voices for Illinois Children; and Valerie Denney Communications for lending their expertise to various aspects
of this report.
Suggested citation: The Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance. (2008). 2008 report on Illinois poverty.
Chicago: Illinois Poverty Summit.
This report can be downloaded from http://www.heartlandalliance.org/maip
©2008 Illinois Poverty Summit
Table of Contents
Introduction
2
Key Findings
4
State Poverty Profile
8
Poverty Definitions
9
State Poverty Rates
10
State Poverty Map
11
New! Midwest Poverty
12
Major Groups in Poverty: Illinois
13
Disability & Poverty
13
Seniors & Poverty
14
Children & Poverty
14
Gender & Poverty
15
Immigrants & Poverty
15
New! Spotlight on Challenges to Women’s Economic Well-Being
16
New! Momentum to Address Poverty in the United States
21
Pathways Out of Poverty
24
Education
25
Employment
26
Health
27
Housing
28
Nutrition
29
Assets
30
New! Working Toward Change in the Heart of Central Illinois:
DeWitt County and the City of Clinton
31
Terms used throughout
County Well-Being Indicators
34
the report are defined
Appendix
40
County Data Tables
41
in the appendix.
Also included in the
appendix are data
Income & Poverty
41
related to income,
Housing
44
poverty, housing,
Health & Education
47
health, and education
New! Congressional District Data Table
50
Definitions and Data Notes
51
for each county in
Illinois as well as an
explanation of the
Definitions
51
various Census Bureau
Data Notes
52
data sources.
2
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Introduction
Introduction
T
his eighth Report on Illinois Poverty comes at a unique moment of
barriers and opportunities. A moment when the state of Illinois holds the
distinction of having the worst budget deficit in the nation for 4 years
running. Yet, it is also a moment when people across the United States
are talking about poverty as a threat to our well-being, when leaders are
proposing solutions, and when communities are taking important steps
to decrease hardship.
Seizing this moment to create change is vital to the millions of
Americans and Illinoisans that live in poverty every day:
• 1.5 million people in Illinois and 39 million people in the nation
are poor.
• 686,000 people in Illinois and 17 million people in the nation
live in the most extreme form of dire poverty.
• 543,000 of our children in Illinois and 13 million of our children
in the nation are poor.
This year’s report
includes a new
Poverty deprives people of their dignity and compromises their ability
to meet their most basic of needs:
Spotlight on
Challenges to
Women’s Economic
Well-Being. The
Spotlight on Women
can be found on
page 16.
• We must act to address poverty because it limits chances and restricts
opportunity for the people who experience it.
• We must act to address poverty because it is dangerous when children
cannot get enough healthy food to eat, adults lack shelter, and seniors
skip doses of vital medication.
• We must act to address poverty because it erodes the quality of life
for us all. A society, a state, a community is only as strong its weakest
member.
Introduction
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
As you read this report, you will see how Illinois families struggle to achieve
or maintain economic stability. Negative economic shifts including stagnating
wages and rising costs have taken their toll on people across Illinois, hitting
those with the least to start with the hardest. But there is hope. There is
a movement stirring throughout the country to act now to address poverty.
With this momentum building and new collective efforts in Illinois, we can
eliminate the poverty that deprives people of their human rights.
The momentum to address poverty is coming from many directions:
• In poll after poll, members of the public are saying that addressing
poverty is important to them.
• Presidential candidates are putting forth anti-poverty proposals,
and leading national groups have identified key next steps to
reducing poverty.
• State legislatures are creating poverty commissions and county boards
are forming poverty task forces.
• More than 1,400 Illinoisans and growing have endorsed the goal
of cutting extreme poverty in half by 2015.
Illinois is poised to be a leader in this movement to significantly reduce
poverty. Throughout the report, recommendations on ways to address
poverty are identified as Opportunities for Change and are denoted by
the symbol to the right. Implementing these
OPPORTUNITY
recommendations can help us make strong, safe,
FOR CHANGE
and stable communities across Illinois that are
poverty free.
3
4
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Key Findings
The gap between stagnant incomes and rising prices
is stretching Illinois families thin.
The effect of our struggling economy has the greatest impact for those with the least income to begin with.
These negative economic trends do not appear to be slowing, forecasting more entrenched hardship in the future.
Average weekly wages fell in 7 of the 11
job sectors in Illinois from 2001 to 2007.1
This means that on a weekly basis, many
Illinoisans have less purchasing power
to pay for their needs.
After adjusting for inflation,
real weekly wages declined by:
$32
$16
for people working
in the business
services sector
for people working
in the
retail trade
Percent Price Change 2001 to 2007
92.7%
Energy
60%
40%
20%
60.0%
Medical
Care
Education
& Communication
Food
14.1%
15.4%
31.2%
Housing
13.6%
from 2001 to 2005,
with the statewide median income
declining
$1,547.
2
Illinois renter households are spending
over half their income on housing,
Gasoline
80%
Median household incomes
dropped in 70 of
Illinois’ 102 counties
Over 1 in 4
During this period of declining wages
and incomes, prices for essential
goods and services rose substantially,
putting the squeeze on many families.3
100%
The reality of a changing economy
and labor market in Illinois
is reflected in families having
less money coming in annually.
an increase
of 42.2%
since 1999,
leaving less
to spend on other
essentials like food
and clothing.4
0
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
1
Throughout the pages of this report are recommendations, or Opportunities for Change,
that together can increase stability and security for Illinois families and reduce poverty
throughout the state.
Center for Tax and Budget Accountability & Northern Illinois University. (2007). The state of working Illinois. Chicago & DeKalb, IL: Author.
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2001-2005, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Consumer price index, create customized tables. Retrieved February 26, 2008, from http://www.bls.gov/cpi/
4
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census & 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
2
3
Key Findings
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
5
The eroding safety net keeps hundreds of thousands of
Illinoisans in extreme poverty.
Extreme poverty, living on an annual income of less than half the poverty line (below $10,000 for a family of four),
affects over 680,000 Illinoisans. Those living in extreme poverty are often in unsafe living conditions and struggle
to meet the most basic of their needs.
Children, seniors, and people with disabilities comprise nearly half of all people living in extreme
poverty in Illinois. The government plays a role in providing support, in the form of a safety net, for
children, seniors, and people with work-limiting disabilities. However, that support has eroded
over the past few decades and hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans fall through the cracks.
Of Illinoisans in extreme poverty:5
Over THREE QUARTERS
245,888 are children
of Illinois households eligible for TANF cash
assistance and housing assistance
• 78,960 are under age 5
• 166,928 are ages 5 to 17
• 16,231 are disabled
402,524 are working age adults ages 18 to 64
• 52,562 have a disability
that makes it difficult to work
• 92,072 are enrolled in school*
• 77,406 of the remaining do not have a
high school diploma making meaningful
employment difficult to secure
do not receive the benefit.6
Average annual benefit levels in Illinois fall far
short of what Illinois families need to get by:
Supplemental Security Income
(government program for people
with disabilities with low incomes) 7
$7,803
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
(government program to help poor
families with dependent children) 8
$2,856
34,944 are seniors
333,394
or nearly HALF of Illinoisans living in
extreme poverty are not expected
to be working or may not
be able to work.
Supports designed to help struggling families
often fail to make it into the hands of eligible
families. Additionally, the benefit amounts for
key supports are so low they fail to provide the
meaningful support needed to make ends meet.
*of those who are not disabled
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
5
Establish the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty in Illinois so there is a formal entity
to comprehensively address poverty in Illinois by developing a substantive, measurable plan
to cut the number of people living in extreme poverty in Illinois in half by 2015.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, Microdata, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Albelda, R., Boushey, H., Chimienti, E., Ray, R., & Zipperer, B. (2007, October). Bridging the gaps: A picture of how work supports work in ten states. Washington, DC & Boston: Center for Economic and Policy Research &
Center for Social Policy.
7
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
8
Illinois Department of Human Services, Bureau of Research & Analysis. (2007, December). TANF, FHP, and Food Stamps cases and persons in metro area counties with estimated Chicago, September of each year 2000-2007.
On file with author.
6
6
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Key Findings
Families’ attempts at moving ahead are being severely
undercut by risky loans and debt.
Debt, predatory lending, and foreclosures are draining savings and eroding the wealth of low-income families
in Illinois. Without opportunities to build assets, Illinois families cannot get ahead.
Though subprime loans make up a smaller share of all mortgage loans,
they comprise a much greater share of foreclosures.
Forecasted Impact of Subprime Foreclosures in 2008-2009 on Illinois Families and Communities9
-$10,760
-$10,760
87,918
Average home
value/tax base decline
-$10,760
Average home
value/tax base decline
Illinois homes expected to be
lost to subprime foreclosures
Average home
value/tax base decline
-$10,760
-$10,760
Average home
value/tax base decline
Average home
value/tax base decline
An additional 2.5 million surrounding homes will be affected by home value/tax base declines.
The median debt per Illinois household
in 2006 includes:10
Payday lenders proliferate
in Illinois
$13,384
trapping workers in cycles of debt.
To illustrate how common they are,
there are almost 3 times as many payday
licenses as McDonald’s in the state.
$1,782
There is:
in installment debt, such as car loans,
student loans, or financed furniture
in credit card and line of credit debt,
which have relatively high interest rates
compared to other forms of debt
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
9
1 McDonald’s
1 payday lending
license in Illinois
for every
160 poor families
in the state11
vs.
in Illinois
for every
442 poor families
in the state12
Improve the Payday Loan Reform Act to strengthen provisions that protect Illinois families
from abusive predatory lending practices that can lead them down the path to financial ruin.
Center for Responsible Lending. (2008, February). The impact of court-supervised modifications on subprime foreclosures in Illinois. Washington, DC: Author.
CFED. (2008). 2007-2008 Assets and opportunity scorecard. Retrieved February 6, 2008, from http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=31&siteid=2471&id=2475
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations. (n.d.). Search licenses. Retrieved February 29, 2008, from http://www.idfpr.com/dfi/LicenseeSearch/frmSearchLicensees.asp, calculation conducted by the Mid-America
Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
12
Graves, S.M. (2006). McDonalds’ vs. Payday Lenders – 2006. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.csun.edu/~sg4002/research/mcdonalds_by_state.htm, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of
Heartland Alliance.
10
11
Key Findings
7
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
In Illinois, the tax system demands more from people
with less.
Lower-income families in Illinois shoulder a relatively high tax responsibility, meaning a greater share of their
incomes as compared to those with higher incomes, is paid in state and local taxes.
Taking taxes from poor families
counters efforts to help them achieve
economic self-sufficiency and stability.
Illinois is one of only:13
15 states that tax
single-parent families
of three who are poor
19 states that tax
two-parent families
of four who are poor
The poorest Illinois families have a tax rate
that is 2.7 times higher than the
highest income Illinois families.14
Income
Group
Average Total State
and Local Tax Rate with
Exemptions Considered
Top 1 percent of Illinois families
5.1%
Average incomes of $1.7 million
Illinois families in the middle
of income distribution
10.7%
Average incomes of $44,000
Poorest Illinois families
13.7%
Average incomes of $9,800
Illinois is
one of only 14 states
that taxes food purchased
for consumption at home.
Grocery taxes take a larger chunk
out of a low-income family’s budget
than a higher income family’s.15
Illinois’ state Earned Income Tax Credit,
designed to offset the large share of
state and local taxes
shouldered by
low-income families, is
among the
lowest in the nation,
averaging only
around
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
13
15
16
Increase the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit to put more dollars in the pockets of low-income
Illinois families. This improves the likelihood that families will be able to meet basic needs and
save money for the future.
Levitis, J.A. (2007, March). The impact of state income taxes on low-income families in 2006. Washington, DC: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. (2008). Preliminary analysis of state and local taxes in 2006. On file with author.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2007, November). Which states tax the sale of food for home consumption in 2007? Washington, DC: Author.
16
Make Work Pay in Illinois. (2008, February). Help working families: Grow the Illinois EITC. Chicago: Voices for Illinois Children.
14
$100 per family.
8
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
State Poverty Profile
State Poverty Profile
Poverty rates presented
here originate from various
Census Bureau surveys
and estimates. The use
of different surveys is
based on Census Bureau
recommendations that
certain surveys be used for
specific purposes. Thus,
P
overty is widespread and will directly or indirectly touch the majority
of people in the nation at some point during their lifetimes. Estimates
suggest that 38.4% of 25 year olds in the United States will experience
poverty at some point in their adult years.17 Though individuals in
poverty are very diverse, certain groups are disproportionately impacted
by poverty.
Who are more likely to be poor?
the American Community
• Women face a greater risk of poverty.
Survey is used for point-intime state estimates, and
• African Americans and Latinos face a greater risk of poverty.
when comparing between
states or states and
• Children face a greater risk of poverty.
smaller geographies. The
• Female-headed households are at a far greater risk of poverty.
Small Area Income and
Poverty Estimates are used
• Immigrants face greater risk of poverty than native-born individuals,
but comprise a much smaller number of all people in poverty.
for comparing all counties.
As a result, the poverty
• People with disabilities face greater risk of poverty than those
without, yet comprise a much smaller number of all people
in poverty.
rates vary slightly when
using the recommended
survey and the appropriate
methodologies. Due
to a change in Census
Bureau methodology in
the American Community
Survey, poverty rate
comparisons between
2005 and 2006 are not
valid, so this section
discusses state change
Poverty exists in every corner of the country and in every county of
Illinois. Rural counties in southern Illinois have some of the highest
rates of poverty in the state. Suburban Chicago counties are experiencing
rapidly growing poverty. High rates of extreme poverty can be found
in areas rural and urban alike. Poverty compromises the stability of
entire communities, counties, and the state. This section highlights the
magnitude of poverty in the state, its geographic spread, and its density.
over time from 1999 to
2006. For more detail on
the sources, please see
pages 9 and 52.
17
Rank, M.R., & Hirschl, T.A. (1999). The likelihood of poverty across the American adult life span. Social Work, 44 (3), 201-216.
State Poverty Profile
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Poverty Definitions
Four definitions of poverty are instructive for an analysis of well-being in Illinois.
Income Poverty: as defined by the federal government using food cost as a basis. There are two slightly different
versions of the federal poverty measure: the poverty thresholds and the poverty guidelines.
The poverty thresholds are the original version of the federal poverty measure. They are updated each year
by the Census Bureau and are used mainly for statistical purposes — for instance, preparing estimates of the
number of Americans in poverty each year.
The poverty guidelines, also called the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), are the other version of the poverty measure.
They are issued each year in the Federal Register by the Department of Health and Human Services and are a
simplification of the poverty thresholds used for administrative purposes — for instance, determining financial
eligibility for certain federal programs.18
Federal Poverty Guidelines, or 100% FPL19
Size of
family unit
2008 poverty
guidelines
2007 poverty
guidelines
2006 poverty
guidelines
2005 poverty
guidelines
1
$10,400
$ 10,210
$ 9,800
$ 9,570
2
14,000
13,690
13,200
12,830
3
17,600
17,170
16,600
16,090
4
21,200
20,650
20,000
19,350
5
24,800
24,130
23,400
22,610
6
28,400
27,610
26,800
25,870
7
32,000
31,090
30,200
29,130
8
35,600
34,570
33,600
32,390
Deep or Extreme Poverty: defined as living below 50% of the federal poverty threshold.
Low-Income or Near Poor: defined as living between 100% and 200% of the poverty threshold —
an income level where people often have trouble meeting their basic needs due to skyrocketing costs
(e.g. rent, child care, health insurance).
Asset Poverty: defined as households without sufficient net worth to subsist at the poverty level for 3 months20
— so that a crisis (such as job loss, illness, divorce) can push a household into poverty or homelessness.
18
19
20
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2006). Frequently asked questions related to the poverty guidelines and poverty. Retrieved December 21, 2006, from http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/faq.shtml#differences
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2008). The 2008 HHS Poverty Guidelines. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml
CFED. (2007). Asset poverty. Retrieved January 2, 2007, from http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?showmeasures=1&parentid=&siteid=504&id=509&measureid=2841
9
10
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
State Poverty Profile
State Poverty Rates
Poverty in Illinois, 2006 21
685,970 + 853,063
or 5.5% of Illinoisans are living in extreme
poverty, below 50% of the federal poverty
or 6.8% of Illinoisans are living between
50% and 100% of the federal poverty threshold.
= 1,539,033 or 12.3%
of the state’s population living in poverty.
988,100 + 1,016,551
or 7.9% of Illinoisans are living between
100% and 150% of the federal poverty
or 8.1% of Illinoisans are living between
150% and 200% of the federal poverty threshold.
= 2,004,651 or 16.0%
of the state’s population are at risk of falling into poverty.
Illinois Poverty Rates Over Time22
1999
2006
Number
Rate
Number
Rate
1,291,958
10.7%
1,539,033
12.3%
Note: For data related to asset poverty, see page 30.
21
22
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census & 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
State Poverty Profile
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
State Poverty Map, All Ages in Poverty, 2005
JO DAVIESS
WINNEBAGO
STEPHENSON
CARROLL
BOONE
23
LAKE
MCHENRY
OGLE
KANE
DE KALB
WHITESIDE
DU PAGE
LEE
COOK
KENDALL
LA SALLE
BUREAU
WILL
HENRY
GRUNDY
ROCK ISLAND
MERCER
KANKAKEE
PUTNAM
STARK
MARSHALL
KNOX
LIVINGSTON
WARREN
PEORIA
WOODFORD
IROQUOIS
HENDERSON
FULTON
MCDONOUGH
FORD
MCLEAN
TAZEWELL
HANCOCK
MASON
SCHUYLER
ADAMS
CHAMPAIGN
DE WITT
LOGAN
MENARD
PIATT
CASS
BROWN
VERMILION
MACON
County Poverty Rate
MORGAN
PIKE
Less than 10%
DOUGLAS
SANGAMON
EDGAR
SCOTT
MOULTRIE
COLES
CHRISTIAN
SHELBY
GREENE
10% to 14.9%
CALHOUN
15% or higher
CLARK
CUMBERLAND
MACOUPIN
MONTGOMERY
JERSEY
EFFINGHAM
FAYETTE
BOND
MADISON
CRAWFORD
CLAY
Number of People in Poverty
5,000 to 9,999 people in poverty
WABASH
WAYNE
EDWARDS
JEFFERSON
MONROE
RANDOLPH
HAMILTON
PERRY
20,000 or more people in poverty
WHITE
FRANKLIN
JACKSON
WILLIAMSON
UNION
JOHNSON
These are the most recent poverty rate data available to compare all Illinois counties.
Specific rates for each county can be found on pages 37-39.
ALEXANDER
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2005.
LAWRENCE
ST. CLAIR
WASHINGTON
23
RICHLAND
14.6
MARION
CLINTON
10,000 to 19,999 people in poverty
JASPER
PULASKI
MASSAC
SALINE
POPE
GALLATIN
HARDIN
11
12
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
State Poverty Profile
Alaska
Midwest Poverty
NORTHEAST
WEST
Hawaii
MIDWEST
Midwest states share many similar characteristics that
make it important to understand the region in which Illinois
is situated. After decades of having some of the lowest
poverty rates in the nation, the Midwest is now one of the
leaders of the nation’s poverty and child poverty growth.
SOUTH
Poverty by Region:
Percent Change from 1999 to 200625
The Midwest poverty rate climbed
from 10.2% in 1999 to 12.4% in 2006.
This was the
largest increase
in any region
of the country.24
Percent Change
in Total
Population
Percent Change
Percent Change
in Number of
in Poverty Rate
People who are Poor
United States
6.4%
14.3%
7.3%
Northeast Region
2.1%
4.7%
2.6%
Midwest Region
2.8%
25.8%
21.6%
South Region
8.9%
16.6%
7.2%
West Region
9.9%
8.5%
-0.8%
Child Poverty by Region:
Percent Change from 1999 to 200626
Percent Change
in Total Child
Population
Percent Change
in Number of Children who are Poor
Percent Change
in Child
Poverty Rate
United States
2.2%
13.1%
10.2%
Northeast Region
-3.0%
2.2%
5.9%
Midwest Region -2.4%
23.9%
27.1%
child poverty rates jumped
South Region
5.7%
17.8%
11.2%
from 13.3% to 16.9%.27
West Region
5.4%
4.7%
-0.6%
From 1999 to 2006, Midwest
The regions included in this analysis reflect the regional breakdowns
designated by the Census Bureau. See page 52 for explanation.
The Midwest experienced a
Nationally,
decline in the
overall child population
10 of the top 20 poorest cities
are in the Midwest.28,29
which makes the
increase in
children living in poverty
all the more stark.
24
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census & 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Ibid.
Ibid.
27
Ibid.
28
Webster, Jr., B.H., & Bishaw, A. (2007, August). Income, earnings and poverty data from the 2006 American Community Survey. (ACS-08). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.
29
This refers to cities with populations over 65,000.
25
26
State Poverty Profile
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
13
Major Groups in Poverty: Illinois
Populations in Poverty 200630
Group*
Population**
Percent of
State
Population
Number
Below
Poverty
Percent of
the Poverty
Population
Percent
in Poverty
Illinois Total
12,516,453
100.0%
1,539,033
—
12.3%
Children (0-17)
3,173,411
25.4%
543,373
35.3%
17.1%
Working Age (18-64)
7,891,815
63.1%
865,359
56.2%
11.0%
Seniors (65+)
1,451,227
11.6%
130,301
8.5%
9.0%
White Non-Hispanic
8,159,767
65.2%
631,014
41.0%
7.7%
Black
1,823,512
14.6%
509,836
33.1%
28.0%
Asian
528,942
4.2%
47,199
3.1%
8.9%
1,858,224
14.8%
327,871
21.3%
17.6%
Hispanic
*
Groups may not be mutually exclusive.
** Total population is the population used to calculate poverty. This exludes persons under age 15 who are not related to the head of household.
DISABILITY & Poverty
Illinoisans with a disability are much more likely to be poor than those without a disability.
ILLINOIS POVERTY BY RACE/ETHNICITY
FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES31
Group
Poverty Rate
Number in
Poverty
Asian
*
*
Black
41.9%
72,063
Hispanic
30.7%
17,313
White
Non-Hispanic
13.7%
*sample size too small to calculate
Nearly 1 out of 5 Illinois
households has at least one
member with a disability.32
Illinoisans with a disability
are more likely to have
low earnings than their
non-disabled counterparts.
PERCENT OF ILLINOISANS WITH
EARNINGS BELOW $15,000 IN 200633
Disabled
42.9%
Non-Disabled
27.4%
78,313
Note: work-limiting disability, for populations
16 and over
30
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2006-2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Microdata, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
33
Ibid.
31
32
14
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
State Poverty Profile
SENIORS & Poverty
Once poor, senior households are less likely to exit poverty than any other age group.34
ILLINOIS SENIOR POVERTY
BY RACE/ETHNICITY35
Group
Poverty Rate
Number in
Poverty
Asian
*
*
Black
20.1%
32,317
Hispanic
17.3%
12,225
White
Non-Hispanic
6.8%
Over half of Illinois seniors
do not have retirement
income other than Social
Security.36
The effects of education have
a lasting impact on income
even into the later years of life.
MEDIAN ANNUAL INCOME FOR
SENIORS, 200637
Educational
Attainment
Median
Annual Income
Less than
high school diploma
High school diploma
or equivalency
Some college or
associate’s degree
Bachelor’s
degree
80,172
*sample size too small to calculate
$12,062
$16,302
$19,300
$32,000
CHILDREN & Poverty
Illinois children are particularly vulnerable to poverty.
ILLINOIS CHILD POVERTY
BY RACE/ETHNICITY38
Group
Poverty Rate
Number in
Poverty
Asian
8.3%
9,688
Black
38.8%
220,177
Hispanic
23.0%
148,831
White
Non-Hispanic
34
8.6%
Since 1999, the child poverty
rate in Illinois has grown
by 19.6%.39
Children that live in families
with the potential for only
one wage earner are hard hit
by poverty.
POVERTY RATES FOR ILLINOIS
CHILDREN BY FAMILY TYPE, 200640
Single-Father Families
24.3%
Single-Mother Families
43.9%
Married-Couple Families
6.8%
152,635
McKernan, S. M., & Ratcliffe, C. (2002, December). Events that trigger poverty entries and exits. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Ibid.
37
Purcell, P. (2007, September). Income and poverty among older Americans in 2006. CRS Report for Congress. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress.
38
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
39
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census & 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
40
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
35
36
State Poverty Profile
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
15
GENDER & Poverty
Women overall face barriers to avoiding poverty as do men and women with criminal records.
ILLINOIS POVERTY BY
RACE/ETHNICITY FOR
WOMEN & MEN AGES 18 TO 6441
Group
Women
Men
Asian
8.5%
9.2%
Black
26.6%
19.6%
Hispanic
18.7%
11.2%
8.7%
6.5%
White
Non-Hispanic
Though women in general
continue to have higher
poverty rates than men,
since 1990, the rate of Illinois
men in poverty has grown
by 10.0% while the rate of
Illinois women in poverty
has grown by only 3.3%.42
Changes in Illinois drug
laws and enforcement have
led to a skyrocketing prison
population. Having a record
is a huge barrier to getting a
job and avoiding poverty.
PERCENT INCREASE IN ADMISSIONS
TO ILLINOIS PRISONS FOR
DRUG OFFENSES BY GENDER,
EARLY 1980s TO EARLY 2000s43
Gender
Percent Increase
Illinois Men
Illinois Women
2650%
4041%
IMMIGRANTS & Poverty
Immigrants in Illinois are only slightly more likely to be in poverty than their native-born counterparts.
ILLINOIS POVERTY BY NATIVITY44
Group
41
Poverty Rate
Number in
Poverty
Native Born
12.2%
1,308,994
Foreign Born
13.1%
230,039
Immigrants in Illinois have
relatively little affect on
poverty rates. Without the
foreign-born population, the
Illinois poverty rate would
only be one tenth of
a percentage point less.45
Illinois children living in
immigrant families have the
same poverty rate as children
living in U.S.-born families.46
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 Decennial Census & 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Kane-Willis, K., Janichek, J., & Clark, D. (n.d.). Intersecting voices: Impacts of Illinois’ drug policies. Chicago: The Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy, Institute for Metropolitan Affairs, Roosevelt University.
44
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
45
Ibid.
46
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (n.d.). Kids count. Retrieved March 4, 2008, from http://www.kidscount.org/datacenter/profile_results.jsp?r=15&d=1&c=a&p=5&x=133&y=9
42
43
16
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Spotlight on Challenges to Women’s Economic Well-Being
Spotlight on Challenges to
Women’s Economic Well-Being
T
hough women bear substantial responsibility for their families’
economic well-being, they face many challenges to economic security.
In recent decades women have entered the workforce at unprecedented
rates, yet women are still disproportionately impacted by poverty.
Women are particularly vulnerable to poverty for a number of reasons:
Being paid less at work:
• Women are paid lower wages than men for comparable work.
• Women are more likely to work in low-paying occupations.
Child rearing and care giving responsibilities:
• Women may need to reduce hours or work part time.
• Women may have to take a leave of absence or retire early.
Having a much smaller retirement cushion:
• Women have lower lifetime earnings.
• Women own fewer assets and consequently have much less wealth.
These factors have forced many women and families to try to make ends
meet on low incomes and have pushed others into poverty. System and
policy changes must be designed to ensure family economic well-being.
Illinois women are significantly more likely to be poor than men during their working
and child-rearing years as well as during retirement or old age, and minority women
are particularly impacted.47
30%
26.6%
25%
18.7%
20%
15%
10%
12.9%
9.0%
8.7%
10.5%
6.9%
5%
0
Working
Working
Age Women Age Men
White, Non- Black
Hispanic
Hispanic
Working Age Working Age
Working Age Women
Women
Women
Senior
Women
Senior
Men
Illinois Poverty Rates by Gender and Race/Ethnicity, 2006
47
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Spotlight on Challenges to Women’s Economic Well-Being
Finding: Low earnings and
low-paying occupations
are key determinants of
women’s poverty.
Meaningful work opportunities that pay familysustaining wages are vital to preventing poverty
and for helping people escape poverty, yet
troublesome disparities continue to exist between
the incomes and earnings of Illinois women and
men who work full time, year round:48
• The median annual income for
Illinois women is $35,192, which
is $11,518 less than Illinois men.
• Illinois women make $0.75 for
every dollar Illinois men make.
• Women make less than men in
every single industry in Illinois.
The same holds true for every
single class of paid workers
— private, nonprofit, government,
and self-employed — and every
occupation group.
If women were paid the same as
comparable men, even if only for the hours
women currently work, a recent study shows that
poverty rates would fall by half
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Many factors help explain the poverty experiences
and different wages between men and women:
I. Women and men tend to work in different
industries, with women underrepresented
in a number of higher-paying industries, and
overrepresented in low-paying ones.50
In Higher Paying Industries, Illinois Women
Comprise a Lower Share of the Workforce
Construction .................................................................................7.9%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities ..........................23.1%
In Lower Paying Industries, Illinois Women
Comprise a Greater Share of the Workforce
Education, health care, and social assistance...........................71.4%
Arts/entertainment, recreation, accomodation & food svcs .....40.1%
Other services, except public administration ............................40.9%
II. Households headed by someone without a
high school degree are the most likely to enter
poverty of any educational grouping,51 and
have lower earnings. Education has significant
value in reducing poverty; just one year of
post-secondary education has been shown to
cut the poverty rates of households headed by
women of color in half.52
Over 2 in 5 Women in Illinois
Have Only a High School Diploma or Less53
14.6%
Less than a high school diploma
29.0%
for both single mothers and married women.49
28.3%
28.1%
48
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Hartmann, H. I., Allen, K., & Owens, C. (1999). Equal pay for working families. Washington, DC: AFL-CIO & Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
51
McKernan, S. M., & Ratcliffe, C. (2002, December). Events that trigger poverty entries and exits. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
52
Cox, K.L.C, & Spriggs, W. (2002). Negative effects of TANF on college enrollment. Washington, DC: National Urban League Institute for Opportunity and Equality.
53
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
49
50
17
High school diploma or equivalency
Some college or associate’s degree
Bachelor’s degree or higher
18
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Spotlight on Challenges to Women’s Economic Well-Being
III. Discrimination and other hard to measure
half of the wage gap between
men and women could not be
explained by the differences in human
capital, industry and occupation, unionization,
and work hours.54
Finding: Women who are
heads of households with
children and women with
care giving responsibilities
are extremely vulnerable
to poverty.
Households headed by women are far more likely
to be poor than other types of households:
• In Illinois, there are over 403,756
Illinois households with children
headed by women, and 24.3% of all
Illinois children live in female-headed
households.55
• The poverty rate for female-headed
households with children is 2.6 times
as high as the overall family poverty
rate in Illinois. 149,460 female-headed
Illinois families with children are
in poverty.56
54
Poverty Rates for Illinois Families with Children
by Race/Ethnicity, 2006
50%
Total
White, Non Hispanic
Percent of Families in Poverty
factors likely play a significant role in the
earnings gap between women and men. A
study that analyzed the period from 1983
to 2000 found that approximately over
• Households headed by a single
mother are much more likely to be
poor than those headed by marriedcouple parents.57
Hispanic
40%
Black
30%
20%
10%
0
In Married-Couple
Families
In Single-Mother
Families
• Many female-headed households
begin with a divorce. In Illinois,
over half a million adult women are
divorced, and 19.3% of them are
living in poverty.58 Median household
income for divorced households with
children declines 40%, on average,
during the 5 years following divorce.59
• Only 31% of Illinois female-headed
families received child support in 2004.60
U.S. General Accounting Office. (2003). Women’s earnings: Work patterns partially explain difference between men’s and women’s earnings. GAO-04-35. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Ibid.
57
Ibid.
58
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2006-2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Microdata, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
59
Amato, P. & Maynard, R. (2007). Decreasing nonmarital births and strengthening marriage to reduce poverty. The Future of Children, 17 (2), 117-141. (citing McLanahan, S., & Sandefur, G. (1994).
Growing up with a single parent. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.)
60
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (n.d.). Kids count. Retrieved March 4, 2008, from http://www.kidscount.org/datacenter/profile_results.jsp?r=15&d=1&c=a&p=5&x=133&y=9
55
56
In Single-Father
Families
Spotlight on Challenges to Women’s Economic Well-Being
Female-headed households’ status is closely
tied to poverty because single-parent families
typically have just one potential earner and are
less likely than married parents to have a full-time
worker. When there is only one adult earner in
the household, fewer hours are worked and fewer
hours are available to be worked due to care giving
responsibilities:
• Employment rates are high for single
women. In Illinois, three
quarters work with 58.7%
working full time and 41.3% working
part time or part year.61
• Nationally, among women ages 20
to 64 who did not work for 4 or more
consecutive months, 39% of were
taking care of children or others. This
is the primary reason among these
women for not working.62
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Women are much more likely to be in a caregiver
role than men. Research reveals that working
caregivers can incur significant losses in career
development, salary, and retirement income, and
can incur substantial out-of-pocket expenses as a
result of their care giving obligations:63
• Nearly 25% of U.S. households have
at least one adult who has provided
care for an elderly person at some
point during the past 12 months.64
• 84% of caregivers make formal
adjustments to their work schedules:
33% decrease hours, 22% take a
leave of absence, 20% switch from
full to part time, 16% quit their job,
and 13% retire early.65
• 40% of caregivers reported that
care giving affected their job
advancement.66
• Nearly two thirds of caregivers report
that care giving had a direct negative
impact on their earnings.67
61
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Dalirazar, N. (2007, September). Reasons people do not work: 2004. Household Economic Studies, P70-111. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau.
Matured Market Institute of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. (1999, November). The MetLife Juggling Act Study: Balancing caregiving with work and the costs involved. New York: Author.
64
Ibid.
65
Ibid.
66
Ibid.
67
Ibid.
62
63
19
20
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Finding: Looking toward
the future, women face
having fewer assets to
fall back on and low
retirement income.
Women often have fewer assets to depend on
in times of need. Historically, women have faced
barriers to or been prevented from acquiring
assets, especially property and capital, which has
contributed to disparities in wealth:
• 26.7% of female-headed Illinois
households are asset poor
compared to 14.8% of male-headed
households.68
• Illinois households headed by women
have a median net worth of $50,200
compared to men’s $92,200.69
The disadvantages of women’s lower wages and
earnings last into retirement for many women,
especially women who are heads of households.
Having spent fewer years in the workforce and
having received lower wages results in less
retirement savings and Social
Security for women, making older
women particularly vulnerable
to poverty. Married senior women typically
fare better until becoming widowed, when their
Social Security benefit is cut by one third to one
half, and their pension benefit is either reduced
or disappears.70 Therefore women, who typically
outlive men, face a reduction in income. Also,
because they live longer, the purchasing power of
their retirement income is eroded by inflation.
68
69
70
Spotlight on Challenges to Women’s Economic Well-Being
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
Policy recommendations
to expand opportunities
for women include:
• Provide paid sick leave for Illinois workers who do not
currently have paid sick days. This would help millions
of Illinois workers stay home when illness strikes
without having to forfeit a day’s wage.
• Support low-wage workers and their families by
making it easier to receive Food Stamps, medical,
and cash assistance by allowing clients to select the
office that is most accessible to them for applications
and ongoing case management.
• Make child care more affordable for working families
by raising income eligibility guidelines to 200% of the
poverty line and adopting a co-payment scale that
makes them affordable while capping them at 10%
of family income.
• Increase state financial aid resources so that awards
better reflect student need and more low-income
Illinoisans can afford to increase their educational
attainment.
• Increase the monthly TANF cash assistance grant by
15% to help poor families with dependent children.
Women daily face a daunting task of balancing
work and care giving responsibilities. The job
opportunities available to women are often lowpaying and lack flexibility. These factors impede
women’s chances to ensure their families’
economic well-being now and into the future.
Opportunities for women must be strengthened to
guarantee that their hard work is rewarded, that
care giving and child rearing are supported, and
that in retirement, senior women have what they
need to make ends meet.
CFED. (2008). 2007-2008 Assets and opportunity scorecard. Retrieved March 4, 2008, from http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=31&siteid=2471&id=2474
Ibid.
Munnell, A.H. (2004, April). Just the facts on retirement issues: Why are so many older women poor? Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.
Momentum to Address Poverty in the United States
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Momentum to Address Poverty
in the United States
A
large number of Americans see poverty and hardship in their
communities firsthand:71
• 45% of Americans say that they regularly cross paths with
people who are struggling to make ends meet.
• 50% of Americans say that there are a lot of people struggling
to make ends meet in their own communities.
• 50% of Americans personally know someone in their
community that is working two or more jobs and is still struggling
to make ends meet.
With poverty and hardship hitting so close to home, people are
identifying poverty as a problem in this country and looking to leaders
for solutions. This section highlights the opinions and attitudes of
people throughout America and illustrates the growing collective
voice behind taking action to eliminate poverty. Also showcased are
a number of efforts that are working toward poverty reduction by
implementing solutions to affect long-term change.
With the support of the American public, the momentum of poverty
reduction efforts from across the country, and new collective efforts in
our own state of Illinois, there is renewed hope and real possibility for
meaningful solutions to poverty that can ultimately reduce hardship
and expand opportunity for millions, strengthening communities,
states, and the nation.
71
Northwest Area Foundation. (2007, April). Struggling to make ends meet: What can be done? Who should do it? St. Paul, MN: Authors.
21
22
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Momentum to Address Poverty in the United States
Throughout the Nation and Illinois, People are Voicing
the Need to Address Poverty.
Recent polls and surveys show there is a voice growing stronger in America today. It’s the voice of every
day Americans who are saying that in the Land of Opportunity, people should not be living in poverty. This
collective voice is saying that poverty is a moral issue that must be addressed. It is saying that addressing
poverty is pragmatic both for people who are poor and for society in general. It is declaring that we must
work together toward comprehensive and sustainable solutions.
Poverty as a Problem and Moral Issue
37% of American voters
consider poverty
a very severe problem
in the United States.72
When American voters
are asked, “Which one of the
following do you think is the
biggest moral issue?”
the number one answer is
fighting hunger/poverty.73
48% of Americans
say that helping people
in their communities
who are struggling
is a top concern.74
Support for Government Efforts to Address Poverty & Hardship
56% of American voters
say the government
is doing too little
to combat poverty.75
90% of Americans say
that it is important that
local elected officials work
to help people struggling to
make ends meet.76
54% of American voters do
not believe that “political
candidates have spent an
adequate amount of time
discussing hunger and
poverty issues.”77
69% of Americans agree
that the government
should care for those
who can’t care for
themselves.78
54% of Americans believe
that the government
should help the needy
even if it means
greater debt.79
64% of people say
they would be likely
to pay $50 more per year
in taxes to go to programs in
their own communities that
help people struggling
to make ends meet.80
72
Rasmussen Reports. (2007, July 19). 56% say government doing too little to combat poverty. Retrieved September 10, 2007, from, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/general_current_
events/56_say_government_doing_too_little_to_combat_poverty
73
Freedman, T.Z., McLaughlin, J., Gossen, N., Lindsey, M., Mertz, C., & Polk, S. (2007, October). New attitudes about poverty and hunger: The rise of the “do right” voter and other lessons from recent research. Washington, DC: The
Alliance to End Hunger.
74
Northwest Area Foundation. (2007, April). Struggling to make ends meet: What can be done? Who should do it? St. Paul, MN: Authors.
75
Rasmussen Reports. (2007, July 19). 6% say government doing too little to combat poverty. Retrieved September 10, 2007, from, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/general_current_
events/56_say_government_doing_too_little_to_combat_poverty
76
Northwest Area Foundation. (2007, April). Struggling to make ends meet: What can be done? Who should do it? St. Paul, MN: Authors.
77
Freedman, T.Z., McLaughlin, J., Gossen, N., Lindsey, M., Mertz, C., & Polk, S. (2007, October). New attitudes about poverty and hunger: The rise of the “do right” voter and other lessons from recent research. Washington, DC: The
Alliance to End Hunger.
78
Pew Research Center. (2007, March). Trends in political values and core attitudes: 1987-2007. Retrieved February 22, 2008, from, http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=312
79
Ibid.
80
Northwest Area Foundation. (2007, April). Struggling to make ends meet: What can be done? Who should do it? St. Paul, MN: Authors.
Momentum to Address Poverty in the United States
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
23
A Sample of Poverty Reduction Strategies, Campaigns,
and Initiatives from Across the Nation
There are movements afoot across the county to reduce poverty. Some of them target state legislation as a
mechanism for achieving change. Others rally a broad base of support among community members, religious
institutions, local governments, and business leaders who feel compelled to act. While their players differ and their
approaches vary in method and scope, these efforts are expanding the notion of addressing poverty past
the charitable realm and into the realm of broadly shared responsibility.
National Movement
U.S. House of Representatives
On January 22, 2008, the House passed a Sense of Congress
resolution that sets a national goal of cutting poverty in half
over the next 10 years. The resolution states that poverty
“can be seen as a deep, structural problem that implicates
our value system and our educational and economic institutions,” and that poverty may be defined as “lack of basic
necessities of life such as food, shelter, clothing, health care,
education, security, and opportunity.” While non-binding, the
resolution is an important expression of where the House
stands and its readiness to consider future legislation.81
Center for American Progress — From Poverty to
Prosperity: A National Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half
Drawing on the expertise of a task force of diverse national
experts, the strategy calls for cutting poverty in half in the
next 10 years and proposes specific strategies to reach
the goal.82
Catholic Charities USA — Campaign to Reduce
Poverty in America
The Campaign seeks to reduce poverty in the country by
50 percent by the year 2020 by improving public policies
that strengthen and support families.83
State-Based Initiatives
Connecticut — Child Poverty Prevention Council
The Council is charged with creating a plan that will cut in half
the number of children experiencing poverty by 2014.
Iowa — Successful Families Caucus
The Caucus is designed to engage legislators in considering
comprehensive state policy that will begin to address the
needs of Iowa’s poorest families and communities.
Alabama — House Task Force on Poverty
Created by the House Speaker, the Task Force, which is
comprised of legislators, nonprofit leaders, and people
experiencing poverty, expects to consider legislative
proposals on poverty for the 2008 session.
Minnesota — Legislative Commission to End Poverty
In 2006, the Legislature created the Commission to prepare
recommendations by the end of 2008 for consideration in the
2009 assembly on how to end poverty.
Vermont — Child Poverty Council
The Child Poverty Council is charged with creating a 10-year
plan to reduce child poverty by 50 percent.
Wisconsin — Vision 2020
Sojourners/Call to Renewal — From Poverty
to Opportunity — A Covenant for a New America
Vision 2020 seeks to increase knowledge about child poverty,
discuss solutions, and convince state policymakers that
eliminating child poverty should be their top priority.
The aim of this initiative is to make overcoming poverty a
moral priority by putting poverty onto the national agenda
through elections and legislation, and to build the political
will to overcome poverty.84
Illinois — From Poverty to Opportunity Campaign:
Realizing Human Rights in Illinois
Community Action Partnership — Rooting Out
Poverty: A Campaign by America’s Community Action
Network
With over 1,000 participating agencies, the Campaign is a
call for action at the national, state, and community levels
to promote economic security for all Americans, especially
those who are poor.85
81
The Campaign has mobilized thousands of individuals and
organizations from across Illinois who believe that freedom
from poverty is a human right and who say that we should
work toward eradicating poverty. To this end, the Campaign
is working to establish a Commission on the Elimination of
Poverty to be charged with creating a poverty eradication
strategy for Illinois that is grounded in human rights
standards. This strategy will be a substantive, measurable
plan to cut extreme poverty in half by the year 2015.
Center for American Progress. (2008, January 25.). House embraces poverty goal. Retrieved March 2, 2008, from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/01/poverty_goal.html
http://www.americanprogress.org/projects/poverty
http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=897&srcid=301
84
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.C4NA&item=C4NA_main
85
http://www.communityactionpartnership.com/Rooting-Out-Poverty.asp
82
83
24
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Pathways Out of Poverty
Pathways Out of Poverty
Education
Employment
Health
Housing
Nutritio
n
Assets
T
he pathway out of poverty is comprised of individual yet interdependent stepping stones,
each representing an area in which families must gain a foothold to escape poverty. A negative
event occurring in one stepping stone area has the potential to undermine stability in all areas
and can catapult families into poverty. For instance, if a family experiences a job loss, they may
lose health insurance, be unable to purchase adequate food, and their ability to keep their home
may become jeopardized. As more steps are compromised, it becomes more difficult for families
to work themselves out of poverty without adequate supports.
The state’s ability to provide the supports to help Illinois families avoid or escape poverty is
dependent on adequate revenue. Though Illinois has wisely identified education, health care,
and human services as priorities, the state’s ability to make progress in these areas is severely
undermined by the failure to fix the state budget’s structural deficit. Illinois’ system of generating
revenue is antiquated, not taxing the growing parts of our economy. Illinois faces a revenue
shortfall year after year, with the cost of simply maintaining current services significantly
exceeding revenue.
As a result, Illinois’ infrastructure of services and supports continues to weaken, creating
problems now and into the future. Providers of essential services go without a cost of doing
business adjustment, sometimes for several years in a row, limiting their capacity and weakening
their ability to maintain existing programs and services. Families and communities go without
the supports that can make a difference in whether or not they are able to get by, let alone
get ahead.
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
Enact comprehensive reform of Illinois’ revenue system to cure the structural deficit and
provide adequate dollars for the general revenue fund to support the state’s priorities,
including the fight against poverty and adequate funding for human services.
Pathways Out of Poverty
Education
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
on
Educati
Employment
Health
H ou
sing
Nutriti
on
Assets
All Illinois children and youth should have equal access to quality education. The reality
is that many are unable to realize the promise of education due to unequal resource
distribution, resulting performance disparities, and rising costs.
Illinois public schools with
high percentages of poor children
have fewer highly qualified teachers
than schools with
lower percentages of poor children.
Percent of Public School Classes
Not Taught by Highly Qualified Teachers87
25
Illinois Graduation
Rate, 2006-200786
85.9%
42.8%
of Illinois African American male 9th graders
and
53.4%
of Illinois Latino male 9th graders will not
graduate from high school 4 years later.88
High Poverty Schools
13.4% of classes
not taught by
highly qualified teachers
Low Poverty Schools
0.2% of classes
not taught by
highly qualified
teachers
The cost of college has soared, often forcing
students to take on unmanageable debt, which
is an additional barrier to low-income students
attaining higher education.
Rise in Illinois College Costs from 2000-2001
to 2004-2005 School Year89
34%
23%
$
Private 4-year
Public 4-year
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
86
$
Create an Illinois Commission on Children and Youth to develop a strategic plan for state
investments in programs and services for children and youth. Include a focus on education
completion to help ensure that all youth have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma
and receive appropriate individualized supports when they face challenges in doing so.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.) 2006-2007 State school report card. Springfield, IL: Author.
Ibid.
Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. (June 2007). Illinois diplomas count: Ready for what? Bethesda, MD: Author.
89
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Democratic Staff and Senate Democratic Policy Committee. (2006, June). The college cost crunch: A state-by-state analysis of rising tuition and student debt.
Washington, DC: Author.
87
88
26
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Employment
on
E d u c a ti
Pathways Out of Poverty
Employment
Health
H ou
sing
Nutriti
on
Assets
Realizing the right to work rests on three things: good jobs that pay living wages, a skilled
workforce, and a strong safety net that supports workers, people who are unemployed,
and those unable to work.91
Illinois Unemployment
Rate, 200790
5.0%
Over the last few decades,
median hourly wages have fallen
Around
for Illinoisans with
less than a high school diploma.*92
2.5 million
1980
Illinois workers
do not get paid sick days,
-28.7%
including three fourths
of low-wage earners.93
2006
*when adjusted for inflation
There is a mismatch between available jobs in Illinois and the skill level of Illinois workers,
resulting in too many Illinois workers struggling to find decent jobs and
too many employers struggling to find skilled employees.
Illinois Jobs and Workers by Skill Level, 200494
31%
High-Skill
Jobs
34%
Workers
51%
Middle-Skill
43%
18%
Low-Skill
0
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
90
23%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Increase investments into effective training strategies to prepare the Illinois workforce
for the future and help make Illinois more competitive in recruiting new businesses to grow
job opportunities.
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Employment Dynamics. (n.d.). Annual average data. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/laus/lausmenu.htm
Theodore, N., & Doussard, M. (2006 September 5). The hidden public cost of low-wage work in Illinois. Chicago & Berkeley, CA: Center for Urban Economic Development & Center for Labor Education and Research.
Center for Tax and Budget Accountability & Northern Illinois University. (2007). The state of working Illinois. Chicago & DeKalb, IL: Author.
93
Lovell, V. (Forthcoming.). Taking care: Adequacy and equity of paid leave. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy Research, calculation conducted by Women Employed.
94
The Workforce Alliance. (n.d.). Illinois’ skills mismatch: A middle-skills gap. Washington, DC: Author.
91
92
Pathways Out of Poverty
Health
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
on
Educati
Employment
Health
H ou
sing
Nutriti
on
Assets
People in poverty are less able to access preventive care, have limited opportunity to
engage in health-promoting activities, and are less likely to be offered health insurance
through their jobs. These issues, compounded by rising health care costs, leave low-income
Illinoisans struggling to meet their health needs.
Since 2000, the rate of Illinoisans covered
by health insurance offered
through the workplace has declined.
27
Illinois Health
Uninsurance Rate
Ages 0 to 64, 200695
15.5%
Medical-related bankruptcies
jumped 2,200%
from the early 1980s
to the early 2000s.97
Illinoisans Covered by Employer-Sponsored
Health Insurance96
Percent of Illinoisans Covered
70%
The pain associated with many untreated oral
conditions can render concentration difficult,
leading to diminished school performance
and increased days absent.
68%
66%
64%
Percent of Illinois Children Not Receiving
all Needed Dental Care, by Income98
62%
16%
14.4%
60%
2001
2002
2003 2004
2005
2006
Percent Not Receiving
2000
14%
12.1%
12%
10%
8%
6%
3.3%
4%
4.0%
2%
0
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
95
0-99% FPL
100-199% FPL 200-399% FPL 400% FPL and over
Expand public health insurance coverage to poor adults who are currently not eligible
(nonelderly, childless, and non-disabled) to ensure that those least able to obtain coverage
can have this first crucial component to accessing care.
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2006-2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Microdata, calculations conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2001-2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Microdata, calculations conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Himmelstein, D.U., Warren, E., Thorne, D., & Woolhandler, S. (2005, February). Illness and injury as contributors to bankruptcy. Health Affairs Web Exclusive, 63-73.
98
National Survey of Children’s Health. (2003). Data query. Retrieved June 15, 2007, from http://nschdata.org/DataQuery/
96
97
28
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Housing
on
E d u c a ti
Pathways Out of Poverty
Employment
Health
Ho u
sing
Nutriti
on
Assets
Safe, decent, and affordable housing is a human right. Affordable housing is part of our
basic infrastructure — just like roads, bridges, and schools — on which businesses and
communities depend.
Illinois Rent-Burdened
Households, 200699
49.3%
While demand is growing,
since 2000 alone
more than 10,000 units of
subsidized affordable housing
have been lost
to market-rate and
condominium conversions
in Illinois.100
The number of Illinois properties in foreclosure
nearly doubled from 2005 to 2007.101
90,782
46,723
Homes in
Foreclosure
Homes in
Foreclosure
2005
2007
Illinois homeless youth providers had more requests for services
than they could fulfill in 2007, due to lack of funding.102
Served
Turned Away
2,895 Youth
3,088 Youth
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
99
Include affordable housing construction and rehabilitation in the proposed capital budget
to both provide and expand safe, decent, affordable housing options and help improve
Illinois’ economy.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Illinois Housing Development Authority. (2006, January). On the road to success: Illinois’ comprehensive housing plan. Chicago: Author.
Realty Trac. (2008, January 29). U.S. foreclosure activity increases 75 percent in 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2008, from
http://www.realtytrac.com/ContentManagement/pressrelease.aspx?ChannelID=9&ItemID=3988&accnt=64847
102
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. (2007). Results of 2007 survey of unaccompanied homeless youth providers. Chicago, IL: Author.
100
101
Pathways Out of Poverty
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Nutrition
on
Educati
Employment
Health
H ou
sing
Nutriti
on
29
Assets
Though freedom from hunger is a human right, the ability of poor and low-income families to
access adequate food is often limited. Families who are struggling to get by are often forced
to make tradeoffs to make food last longer. This may mean skipping meals or eating meals
sporadically, which can lead to a variety of negative health and educational outcomes.
Illinois Food Insecurity
Rate, 2006103
9.8%
Illinois ranks last among all states for school breakfast participation
with nearly half the participation of the highest ranked state.104
Illinois >
Worst in the
Nation
< New Mexico
Best in the
Nation
Students Participating in the School Breakfast Program per 100
in the School Lunch Program, 2006-2007 School Year
172,795 Illinois households
+
experiencing hunger
311,031 Illinois households
experiencing food insecurity
483,826 Illinois households at risk of
the negative effects of hunger
and improper nutrition.105
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
103
The Food Stamp Program
is an important line of defense
against hunger and undernutrition,
yet 25.5% of Illinois households eligible
for Food Stamps are
not receiving the benefit.106
Implement a universal school breakfast program, rather than an optional program, in Illinois
districts with high percentages of low-income students. This can significantly increase
low-income student participation in the program since it reduces stigma and eliminates fee
barriers for many low-income families.
Nord, M., Andrews, M., & Carlson, S. (2007, November). Household food security in the United States, 2006. Economic Research Report Number 49. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
Food Research and Action Center. (2007, December). School breakfast scorecard 2007. Washington, DC: Author.
Nord, M., Andrews, M., & Carlson, S. (2007, November). Household food security in the United States, 2006. Economic Research Report Number 49. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service,
calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
106
Albelda, R., Boushey, H., Chimienti, E., Ray, R., & Zipperer, B. (2007, October). Bridging the gaps: A picture of how work supports work in ten states. Washington, DC & Boston: Center for Economic and Policy Research & Center for
Social Policy.
104
105
30
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Assets
on
Educati
Pathways Out of Poverty
Employment
H ou
sing
Nutriti
on
Assets
Assets are pools of resources and as such act as a security against unforeseen events. Assets
are also investments in that they generate returns and generally increase family wealth over
time.108 Developing a solid asset base, in the form of savings, education, and/or homeownership
is critical for Illinoisans to prevent future poverty.
Illinois Asset Poverty
Rate, 2004107
20.5%
1 in 5
Illinois households is asset poor
meaning they do not have enough saved
to survive at the poverty level
if they should lose their income.
There has been little progress
on reducing asset poverty
since the mid-1990s.109
As an asset, education has a
cumulative life-long impact
in the form of higher annual incomes
and more money to put away into savings
or investments such as a home.
OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
107
Health
15.4%
of all Illinois households
have zero or negative net worth,
meaning they may owe more than they own.
There are also striking racial disparities
in net worth.
Median Net Worth of Illinois Households
by Race, 2004110
White – $128,444
$$$$$$$$$$
Minority$
– $12,100
Illinois Educational Attainment, 2006111
Highest Educational
Level Attained
Percent of Illinois
Adults age 25 and Over
Less than a high school diploma
15.0%
$20,019
High school diploma
28.9%
$27,048
Some college or associate’s degree
27.3%
$33,383
Bachelor’s degree
18.1%
$47,484
Graduate or professional degree
10.8%
$60,695
Create a universal Children’s Savings Account program in Illinois that includes financial
education to ensure that all children have the opportunity for lifelong learning and asset
building by providing youth and their families with the tools to accumulate savings.
CFED. (2007). 2007-2008 Assets and opportunity scorecard. Retrieved January 3, 2008, from http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=31&siteid=2471&id=2475
Carasso, A., & McKernan, S.M. (2007, November). The balance sheets of low-income households: What we know about their assets and liabilities. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
CFED. (2008). 2007-2008 Assets and opportunity scorecard. Retrieved February 6, 2008, from http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=31&siteid=2471&id=2475
110
Ibid.
111
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
108
109
Median Annual
Earnings
Working Toward Change in the Heart of Central Illinois
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
31
Working Toward Change in the Heart
of Central Illinois: DeWitt County and
the City of Clinton
113
2006 Population
DeWitt County
16,768
City of Clinton
7,331
T
he county seat of DeWitt County, Clinton, began as a prairie town in
1835. The 1840’s were the heyday of circuit riders in Clinton, and during
this period Abraham Lincoln had a law office in town. The first locomotive
moved into town in 1854, and by the end of the decade had ushered in
a social and economic transformation that moved Clinton from a rough
settlement into a thriving town. However, the railroad’s prosperity was
undermined by the Great Depression, so the city of Clinton turned to the
area’s farmers to maintain the local economy. For the last half-century,
Clinton relied on a variety of industry and manufacturing to preserve
economic stability.112
The town is currently redefining itself as a bedroom community within
a tourism corridor of lakes, state parks, the state Capitol, and antiquing.
Located in the heart of central Illinois, Clinton is in close proximity to four
urban hubs: Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, Bloomington-Normal, and
Decatur. With a charming city center, Clinton has a hometown atmosphere
and has ideal amenities for raising a family including small schools and a
supportive community.
Special thanks to
Mayor Ed Wollet,
City of Clinton;
Sherry Fulton,
University of Illinois
Extension Service;
Patrice Jones,
Illinois Coalition for
Community Services;
Helen Michelassi,
DeWitt County Human
Resource Center; Anita
Russell, Central Illinois
Economic Development
Corporation; Tina Steel,
DeWitt County Human
Resource Center;
and Terry Tedrick,
DeWitt County Health
Department for their
time spent in helping
tell this story.
While some industry still remains, Clinton has experienced a decline in
its industrial base and the changing local economy has put the squeeze
on many families. In the last decade a major employer, Revere-Corning,
closed its Clinton plant and moved operations overseas. In addition to a
decline in manufacturing, other factors are impacting residents, including
growth in low-paying jobs, less local tax revenue available to fund services
and infrastructure, an aging population, and climbing costs of basic goods.
Impacts are being felt at all levels. Community members report that
poverty now feels more pervasive than in the past. Middle-class families
are struggling to keep their heads above water. People who used to
contribute to nonprofits are now in need themselves. Families are
living doubled and tripled up with others. One local leader explained,
“We have come across three families living in one home and recently
found 11 people living in one double-wide trailer.”
112
113
City of Clinton. (n.d.). Clinton Illinois. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://www.clintonillinois.com/?page=history
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates.
32
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Working Toward Change in the Heart of Central Illinois
The Development of the DeWitt County Poverty Action Coalition
A
bout 4 years ago community leaders in Clinton and DeWitt County
came together to identify local improvements for residents who were
struggling. Representatives of faith communities, local government,
health care professionals, social service agencies, school districts, and the
public health department discussed issues faced by those in need in their
communities, identified what they were currently doing to address those
issues, and then sought ways for those in need to become empowered
and self sufficient. The group identified poverty as a serious problem in
the area and decided to form a Poverty Action Coalition united by the
common goal of addressing the root causes of poverty. They began to
work locally to improve the following:
• Job loss has led to a growing need for employment assistance. Coalition
members organized a job readiness training for low-skilled job seekers
which included interviewing skills, dressing for success, and creating
a resume.
• There is no public transportation in DeWitt County. Volunteers provide
some transportation support for people who need ongoing medical care,
though they are overburdened with requests. Coalition members met
with the state to discuss the problem and consequently, a transportation
company is finally coming to DeWitt County.
• Hunger, particularly for children in Clinton, continues to be an ongoing
issue. In the past the summer food program only targeted residents
of public housing, though many more in the
Educational Attainment for Population Age 25
community were in need. Coalition members are
and Over, 2000114
now working to open the program to the entire
Highest Educational
Illinois
DeWitt City of
community and it looks promising that this will
Level Attained
County Clinton
happen. In addition, the schools are working on
Less than a high school diploma
18.6%
16.5% 18.5%
technology that will help reduce stigma for lowHigh school diploma
27.7%
43.6% 43.3%
income kids by make it unnecessary for them to
Some college or associate’s degree 27.6%
26.4% 26.7%
publicly identify that they are eligible for a free or
Bachelor’s degree or higher
26.1%
13.4% 11.5%
reduced price school lunch.
• The Coalition’s future agenda includes increasing opportunities for
more youth to go on to higher education. They are considering doing
workshops on financial aid programs to help people learn about and
apply for student aid.
114
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Working Toward Change in the Heart of Central Illinois
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
33
New City Leader Commits to Tackling Poverty
Ed Wollet was elected Mayor of Clinton in 2007. Increasing employment
opportunities, retaining current businesses, and increasing jobs skills
of current residents are on the top of his to do list. Many people leave
DeWitt County every day to commute to employment in neighboring
cities and counties. “Low-income folks who lost jobs at Revere can’t
as easily travel outside of the town for jobs.” Recruiting new business
to Clinton could help broaden both the tax base and opportunities for
residents. “While the state does offer some incentives for new businesses
to come in, when an existing company is struggling it is hard to get the
same level of state assistance — and we end up losing good businesses.
Helping the struggling businesses is job retention.”
Mayor Wollet also seeks to increase job skills of unemployed residents to
make them competitive in the local labor market. He wants to partner
with higher education institutions to increase worker skills, offer on-thejob training, and provide other resources the Clinton workforce needs.
Decatur’s Richland Community College has an extension in Clinton
located in the high school. He hopes to partner with Richland to raise
the literacy levels of unemployed adults and adults in low-wage jobs, and
to train people for the industries that are in Clinton and for those that
may come. “In 4 years when I’m done with this term, my goal is have
fewer families with low incomes — as a measure I’d like to see fewer kids
eligible for free and reduced price school lunches.”
Communities across Illinois have assets as well as struggles. What sets
Clinton and DeWitt County apart is the commitment and action of leaders
to enrich the community for all residents. “Everyone deserves basic
human dignity and opportunities regardless of income.”
1 in Every 10 Residents of DeWitt County
and Clinton is Living in Poverty
Percent of Children Eligible for Free and Reduced Price
School Lunches, 2006-2007117
Overall
Poverty
Child
Povety
DeWitt County, 2005 rate115
9.8%
15.5%
DeWitt County
34.7%
116
10.8%
16.2%
City of Clinton
35.8%
City of Clinton, 2000 rate
115
Percent
Eligible
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2005.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Decennial Census.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). Nutrition programs, Free and Reduced-Price Meal eligibility data. Retrieved March 4, 2008, from http://www.isbe.state.il/us/nutrition/htmls/eligibility_listings.htm, calculation conducted by
the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
116
117
34
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
County Well-Being Indicators
County Well-Being Indicators
F
our key indicators of well-being are assessed in each of Illinois’ 102
counties — high school graduation rates, unemployment rates, teen birth
rates, and poverty rates. Counties in Illinois are evaluated using a point
system, with the higher number of points indicating a worse score. A point
is given to a county if its rate is higher than the state average and/or if
they have worsened since the previous year. For each indicator a total of
2 points is possible and overall a total of 8 points is possible. Counties that
score 4 or 5 points are placed on a Watch List and counties that score 6, 7,
or 8 points are placed on a Warning List.
Using this methodology, 66 Illinois counties have been placed on either
the Poverty Watch or Poverty Warning lists.
Number of counties changing lists:
Often the agencies
that provide data for
the County Well-Being
Indicator section
improve their methods
or correct errors, which
results in changes
to the numbers and
analyses in previous
years’ reports. Each
year, the most current,
accurate data are
re-gathered, and
subsequent changes to
Watch or Warning List
status are incorporated
before comparing one
year to the next.
Worsened (from Watch to Warning or not on a list to Watch or Warning) 30
Improved (from Warning to Watch or Watch to not on a list)
25
No change (on same list as last year)
47
The County Well-Being Indicators illustrate that poverty and hardship are
not limited to one region of the state. Counties all across Illinois struggle
with poverty-related issues. This year’s Watch and Warning lists must serve
as a wake-up call for leaders to begin deliberate efforts to reverse these
trends in their communities.
County Well-Being Indicators
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Counties of Concern
JO DAVIESS
WINNEBAGO
STEPHENSON
CARROLL
44 counties are on the Poverty Watch List and
22 counties are on the Poverty Warning List
LAKE
MCHENRY
BOONE
OGLE
KANE
DE KALB
WHITESIDE
DU PAGE
LEE
COOK
KENDALL
LA SALLE
BUREAU
WILL
HENRY
GRUNDY
ROCK ISLAND
MERCER
KANKAKEE
PUTNAM
STARK
MARSHALL
KNOX
LIVINGSTON
WARREN
PEORIA
WOODFORD
IROQUOIS
HENDERSON
FULTON
MCDONOUGH
FORD
MCLEAN
TAZEWELL
HANCOCK
MASON
SCHUYLER
ADAMS
CHAMPAIGN
DE WITT
LOGAN
MENARD
PIATT
CASS
BROWN
VERMILION
MACON
MORGAN
PIKE
DOUGLAS
SANGAMON
EDGAR
SCOTT
MOULTRIE
COLES
CHRISTIAN
SHELBY
GREENE
CLARK
CUMBERLAND
MACOUPIN
CALHOUN
MONTGOMERY
JERSEY
EFFINGHAM
FAYETTE
JASPER
CRAWFORD
BOND
MADISON
CLAY
RICHLAND
LAWRENCE
14.6
MARION
CLINTON
ST. CLAIR
WABASH
WAYNE
WASHINGTON
EDWARDS
JEFFERSON
MONROE
RANDOLPH
HAMILTON
PERRY
WHITE
FRANKLIN
Watch
JACKSON
WILLIAMSON
County has an indicator score
of 4 or 5 and needs to be monitored.
UNION
JOHNSON
Warning
County has an indicator score of 6, 7 or 8
and needs to initiate corrective action.
ALEXANDER
PULASKI
MASSAC
SALINE
POPE
GALLATIN
HARDIN
35
36
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
County Well-Being Indicators
Overview of Counties by Well-Being Indicator
This overview of the well-being indicators shows how Illinois as a whole is faring
on each of the four well-being indictors.
Poverty Rates
Teen Birth Rates
23
25
counties
counties
23
counties
42
counties
37
54
counties
counties
Graduation Rates
Unemployment Rates
1
9
county
50
51
counties
counties
counties
42
51
counties
counties
A point is given to a county if its rate is higher than the state average and/or if they have worsened since the previous year.
Counties with zero points
Counties with one point
Counties with two points
See footnotes in tables on the following pages.
County Well-Being Indicators
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Overview of Counties by Well-Being Indicator
County
ISBE High
School Grad
Rate, 20062007118
Point Change in
Grad Rates from
Previous Year119
Teen Birth Rate,
2005120
Point Change in
Teen Birth Rate
from Previous
Year121
Unemployment
Rate, August
2007*122
37
Bold — Counties on the Watch List (see page 35)
Bold Italic — Counties on the Warning List (see page 35)
Point Change in
Unemployment
Rate from Previous August123
Poverty Rate,
2005124
Point Change
in Poverty Rate
from Previous
Year125
Illinois
85.9%
-1.9%
9.7%
-0.2%
5.2%
0.7%
12.0%
0.1%
Adams
90.0%
0.3%
12.0%
-2.2%
4.5%
0.9%
11.2%
-0.1%
Alexander
95.2%
-1.8%
24.6%
3.2%
9.1%
0.1%
33.9%
10.1%
Bond
89.0%
5.0%
10.6%
-0.9%
5.4%
0.5%
12.8%
1.6%
Boone
85.1%
0.2%
8.6%
0.6%
6.2%
1.1%
8.0%
0.1%
Brown
98.1%
-1.9%
9.3%
2.2%
3.1%
0.1%
13.9%
1.6%
Bureau
89.5%
-3.6%
8.6%
1.0%
5.1%
1.0%
10.1%
1.3%
Calhoun
96.7%
3.7%
6.9%
-8.8%
6.4%
1.5%
10.4%
1.5%
Carroll
97.9%
9.6%
11.3%
0.0%
5.2%
0.7%
10.9%
0.8%
Cass
95.6%
1.4%
10.1%
-2.1%
4.6%
0.3%
11.8%
1.1%
Champaign
92.7%
2.1%
9.0%
0.3%
4.9%
0.8%
17.7%
4.3%
Christian
87.8%
2.2%
11.7%
-3.2%
5.5%
0.5%
11.4%
0.3%
Clark
91.7%
-5.9%
10.3%
-2.9%
5.8%
0.6%
11.9%
1.3%
Clay
90.0%
2.0%
12.1%
-0.2%
6.3%
1.3%
13.3%
1.2%
Clinton
93.5%
5.8%
7.2%
-0.3%
5.1%
0.3%
7.5%
-0.1%
Coles
88.8%
2.3%
9.1%
-1.3%
4.9%
0.3%
18.8%
4.4%
Cook
78.5%
-4.6%
10.7%
-0.4%
5.4%
0.7%
15.0%
-0.2%
Crawford
95.3%
1.0%
14.3%
-1.2%
6.0%
0.9%
13.7%
1.8%
Cumberland
98.0%
-0.7%
11.0%
4.4%
5.3%
0.7%
10.9%
0.6%
DeKalb
92.3%
-1.6%
6.4%
-1.0%
4.6%
0.9%
14.6%
5.0%
DeWitt
90.8%
2.6%
11.7%
2.8%
5.2%
1.1%
9.8%
-0.5%
Douglas
94.7%
-5.3%
6.5%
-2.0%
4.7%
0.4%
7.5%
-0.7%
DuPage
95.5%
1.2%
4.1%
0.0%
3.9%
0.5%
5.0%
-1.0%
Edgar
89.4%
-2.3%
12.9%
-1.7%
5.2%
0.6%
13.2%
1.0%
Edwards
100.0%
7.1%
9.3%
0.6%
5.3%
0.8%
10.5%
1.1%
Effingham
89.6%
-3.3%
8.3%
-1.5%
4.2%
0.1%
9.2%
0.0%
Fayette
88.6%
-2.4%
10.3%
-0.4%
6.7%
1.3%
15.3%
1.7%
Ford
89.2%
6.6%
7.0%
-4.3%
5.2%
0.8%
9.1%
1.0%
Franklin
91.9%
-1.4%
10.4%
-1.1%
9.2%
1.7%
16.7%
1.3%
Fulton
85.6%
-6.0%
10.2%
-3.5%
5.8%
0.4%
12.1%
0.0%
Gallatin
100.0%
0.0%
22.6%
17.5%
6.8%
0.4%
18.9%
2.8%
Greene
84.7%
-4.3%
14.9%
7.0%
5.4%
0.4%
13.7%
1.2%
Grundy
93.0%
-2.3%
6.9%
-1.1%
5.1%
0.4%
5.3%
-0.7%
*At the time of print, these are the most accurate August unemployment rates available from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
118
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Illinois Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Illinois teen births by county. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/teen/teen0304.htm
121
Illinois Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Illinois teen births by county. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/teen/teen0304.htm, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of
Heartland Alliance.
122
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. (n.d.). Annual average data. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/laus/lausmenu.htm
123
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. (n.d.). Annual average data. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/laus/lausmenu.htm, calculation conducted by the
Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
124
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2005.
125
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2004-2005, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
119
120
38
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
County Well-Being Indicators
Overview of Counties by Well-Being Indicator (continued)
County
ISBE High
School Grad
Rate, 20062007118
Point Change in
Grad Rates from
Previous Year119
Teen Birth Rate,
2005120
Point Change in
Teen Birth Rate
from Previous
Year121
Unemployment
Rate, August
2007*122
Bold — Counties on the Watch List (see page 35)
Bold Italic — Counties on the Warning List (see page 35)
Point Change in
Unemployment
Rate from Previous August123
Poverty Rate,
2005124
Point Change
in Poverty Rate
from Previous
Year125
Illinois
85.9%
-1.9%
9.7%
-0.2%
5.2%
0.7%
12.0%
0.1%
Hamilton
92.3%
-3.5%
6.5%
-9.4%
6.2%
0.5%
13.8%
1.2%
Hancock
95.3%
-2.6%
12.1%
2.6%
6.0%
1.1%
11.0%
1.2%
Hardin
94.1%
-0.2%
11.1%
-12.0%
8.8%
-0.2%
19.0%
3.7%
Henderson
97.0%
16.7%
9.1%
-2.2%
4.8%
-0.2%
11.8%
1.4%
Henry
91.9%
0.1%
8.5%
1.8%
4.9%
1.0%
10.3%
2.1%
Iroquois
85.0%
-2.6%
11.8%
1.6%
5.1%
1.0%
10.5%
0.3%
Jackson
97.1%
6.3%
8.7%
-2.1%
5.3%
0.9%
29.1%
8.9%
Jasper
100.0%
2.1%
9.3%
-3.5%
5.5%
0.0%
10.8%
0.8%
Jefferson
80.6%
0.3%
14.3%
-1.1%
5.5%
0.7%
15.6%
1.7%
Jersey
96.8%
-0.8%
9.5%
-1.2%
5.6%
1.1%
8.2%
-0.3%
Jo Daviess
94.2%
2.1%
5.5%
-4.1%
3.9%
0.6%
9.0%
1.2%
Johnson
95.6%
-3.7%
6.8%
-0.2%
6.7%
1.2%
14.9%
1.4%
Kane
90.3%
0.6%
8.9%
0.2%
4.5%
0.6%
8.5%
0.6%
Kankakee
87.0%
1.9%
11.1%
-1.1%
6.6%
1.0%
13.1%
1.2%
Kendall
95.0%
3.9%
3.8%
-0.7%
4.6%
0.7%
3.1%
-1.0%
Knox
83.9%
-1.7%
14.7%
3.3%
5.5%
0.2%
14.7%
1.3%
Lake
90.0%
-4.1%
7.1%
0.4%
5.1%
0.9%
7.0%
-0.1%
LaSalle
92.1%
1.9%
9.5%
1.1%
6.1%
1.1%
11.7%
1.9%
Lawrence
87.0%
0.8%
7.9%
-6.3%
5.6%
0.1%
14.9%
1.8%
Lee
91.9%
7.0%
10.7%
2.7%
5.4%
1.0%
9.2%
-0.1%
Livingston
93.1%
3.8%
11.2%
2.0%
4.9%
0.7%
9.7%
-0.4%
Logan
86.7%
-3.6%
16.4%
3.5%
5.2%
0.3%
11.3%
0.6%
Macon
84.2%
-1.1%
16.3%
2.0%
6.5%
0.8%
15.2%
0.9%
Macoupin
94.7%
5.3%
13.7%
3.7%
6.0%
1.1%
10.4%
-0.2%
Madison
88.3%
-3.6%
11.1%
-0.5%
5.8%
0.8%
11.0%
-0.2%
Marion
80.0%
3.9%
17.2%
1.8%
7.3%
1.0%
16.1%
2.5%
Marshall
97.6%
5.5%
11.0%
0.8%
4.2%
0.4%
8.0%
-0.1%
Mason
88.8%
3.4%
13.9%
-0.3%
7.7%
1.1%
14.2%
2.9%
Massac
93.2%
2.6%
13.9%
-6.2%
6.0%
0.3%
16.4%
2.6%
McDonough
94.8%
-0.3%
9.2%
0.8%
5.0%
0.1%
20.9%
4.5%
McHenry
93.3%
0.9%
5.5%
0.1%
4.1%
0.7%
4.6%
0.1%
McLean
88.9%
-3.2%
7.4%
0.8%
4.3%
0.7%
11.4%
1.3%
Menard
94.4%
-4.5%
6.3%
-3.2%
4.5%
0.9%
9.3%
0.5%
Mercer
94.0%
0.1%
10.6%
1.7%
4.9%
0.3%
8.1%
-0.5%
Monroe
98.7%
6.6%
3.5%
-1.0%
4.6%
0.5%
3.8%
-0.2%
*At the time of print, these are the most accurate August unemployment rates available from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
118
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Illinois Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Illinois teen births by county. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/teen/teen0304.htm
121
Illinois Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Illinois teen births by county. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/teen/teen0304.htm, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of
Heartland Alliance.
122
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. (n.d.). Annual average data. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/laus/lausmenu.htm
123
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. (n.d.). Annual average data. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/laus/lausmenu.htm, calculation conducted by the
Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
124
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2005.
125
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2004-2005, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
119
120
County Well-Being Indicators
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Overview of Counties by Well-Being Indicator (continued)
County
ISBE High
School Grad
Rate, 20062007118
Point Change in
Grad Rates from
Previous Year119
Teen Birth Rate,
2005120
Point Change in
Teen Birth Rate
from Previous
Year121
Unemployment
Rate, August
2007*122
39
Bold — Counties on the Watch List (see page 35)
Bold Italic — Counties on the Warning List (see page 35)
Point Change in
Unemployment
Rate from Previous August123
Poverty Rate,
2005124
Point Change
in Poverty Rate
from Previous
Year125
Illinois
85.9%
-1.9%
9.7%
-0.2%
5.2%
0.7%
12.0%
0.1%
Montgomery
86.4%
1.1%
15.6%
-0.1%
6.8%
1.0%
15.4%
2.5%
Morgan
98.6%
4.3%
11.9%
-2.2%
5.5%
0.6%
13.6%
1.2%
Moultrie
93.9%
-4.8%
9.8%
0.1%
4.4%
0.6%
9.5%
1.2%
Ogle
90.3%
-0.3%
8.6%
0.2%
5.6%
0.9%
8.4%
-0.3%
Peoria
91.2%
4.2%
13.3%
-0.8%
5.1%
0.7%
12.8%
-0.4%
Perry
91.0%
6.5%
12.9%
0.3%
9.8%
2.5%
16.2%
2.4%
Piatt
95.6%
-1.2%
4.8%
-2.5%
4.4%
0.6%
6.2%
-0.2%
Pike
85.2%
-6.4%
11.7%
-0.6%
4.6%
0.2%
14.3%
1.7%
Pope
87.8%
14.8%
15.0%
-10.0%
8.3%
0.9%
17.9%
2.5%
Pulaski
100.0%
1.4%
23.3%
-2.5%
8.1%
0.2%
28.7%
8.0%
Putnam
89.5%
-0.5%
3.2%
-4.3%
5.7%
1.2%
6.6%
0.2%
Randolph
89.0%
-6.0%
10.1%
-3.6%
6.0%
1.0%
12.8%
0.8%
Richland
92.9%
0.6%
12.7%
0.6%
5.3%
0.1%
15.2%
2.9%
Rock Island
85.1%
0.0%
12.4%
-1.5%
4.7%
0.6%
13.4%
1.4%
Saline
84.9%
-3.2%
16.3%
-2.3%
7.3%
1.2%
20.6%
4.5%
Sangamon
93.6%
1.3%
10.8%
-0.7%
5.0%
0.8%
11.2%
0.9%
Schuyler
95.8%
2.2%
1.4%
-4.7%
3.9%
0.1%
11.2%
1.1%
Scott
93.1%
0.1%
11.8%
-5.3%
4.6%
0.1%
10.6%
0.8%
Shelby
91.5%
-1.9%
10.9%
-0.7%
5.3%
0.5%
10.5%
1.0%
St. Clair
88.6%
2.1%
13.9%
-0.7%
6.8%
0.8%
13.0%
-2.0%
Stark
86.4%
-13.6%
9.1%
3.4%
5.5%
1.0%
10.4%
1.1%
Stephenson
91.9%
-0.9%
13.0%
-0.5%
5.5%
0.9%
10.7%
-0.1%
Tazewell
89.9%
0.3%
8.8%
-0.5%
4.8%
0.9%
8.7%
0.1%
Union
86.5%
-1.0%
9.9%
-1.4%
7.2%
1.6%
16.7%
2.6%
Vermilion
79.2%
0.1%
16.2%
-0.2%
7.1%
1.0%
18.3%
3.4%
Wabash
97.8%
9.4%
13.0%
4.4%
6.7%
1.5%
14.8%
3.0%
Warren
89.4%
-0.6%
8.5%
-3.0%
5.2%
0.2%
13.3%
2.0%
Washington
92.2%
0.5%
12.2%
5.2%
5.1%
1.1%
7.8%
0.6%
Wayne
84.8%
-6.8%
14.9%
5.6%
5.4%
1.2%
14.9%
2.8%
White
87.2%
-0.9%
11.3%
-4.6%
6.0%
0.9%
14.1%
1.4%
Whiteside
87.4%
0.4%
11.9%
-0.7%
6.0%
0.7%
10.9%
1.2%
Will
88.5%
-0.9%
6.0%
0.3%
4.8%
0.7%
5.4%
-1.2%
Williamson
98.1%
0.8%
10.8%
-0.3%
7.2%
1.9%
13.0%
-0.7%
Winnebago
80.4%
1.9%
13.4%
1.5%
6.4%
1.2%
11.9%
-0.8%
Woodford
94.6%
-1.5%
6.7%
0.4%
3.9%
0.7%
5.5%
-0.5%
*At the time of print, these are the most accurate August unemployment rates available from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
118
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Illinois Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Illinois teen births by county. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/teen/teen0304.htm
121
Illinois Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Illinois teen births by county. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/teen/teen0304.htm, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of
Heartland Alliance.
122
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. (n.d.). Annual average data. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/laus/lausmenu.htm
123
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. (n.d.). Annual average data. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/laus/lausmenu.htm, calculation conducted by the
Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
124
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2005.
125
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2004-2005, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
119
120
40
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Appendix
Appendix
T
he following tables provide detailed information on each county
in Illinois relating to income, poverty, housing, health, and education.
For the poverty rate by county, see pages 37-39. A new table has
been added this year containing data on income and poverty by
Congressional District and can be found on page 50.
Appendix
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
41
Income & Poverty
County
Number of People
in Poverty, 2005126
Poverty Rate for
Population Under
Age 18, 2005127
Illinois
1,484,992
16.5%
2.3
Adams
7,172
15.5%
Alexander
2,826
Bond
Bankruptcies Per
1,000 People,
2006128
Change in Average
New Hire Monthly
Earnings, 2004 to
2005130
Percent Change in
Average New Hire
Monthly Earnings,
2004 to 2005131
Average Wage per
Job, 2006132
114,631
$73
3.3%
$45,032
2.3
1,123
-$117
-7.5%
$30,590
57.2%
6.1
-104
$45
2.6%
$29,271
1,991
15.4%
2.4
-66
-$747
-46.1%
$29,314
Boone
3,981
10.2%
2.6
957
-$299
-15.0%
$46,388
Brown
671
12.8%
1.2
143
$144
7.1%
$33,844
Bureau
3,491
15.2%
2.1
-33
$254
13.6%
$31,906
Calhoun
529
12.8%
1.6
28
$29
2.1%
$21,069
Carroll
1,725
16.9%
1.8
44
-$317
-24.8%
$26,809
Cass
1,605
17.3%
1.7
24
-$55
-3.2%
$27,384
Champaign
29,800
15.5%
1.9
1,406
-$75
-4.6%
$33,051
Christian
3,770
17.0%
2.1
145
$39
2.6%
$28,717
Clark
1,980
17.7%
3.6
-44
-$118
-9.1%
$27,234
Clay
1,806
18.3%
2.0
85
-$142
-9.5%
$28,536
Clinton
2,534
9.8%
1.7
157
$33
2.5%
$27,283
Coles
8,892
17.0%
2.5
1,584
-$122
-10.2%
$27,050
Cook
780,189
21.4%
2.3
27,847
-$35
-1.4%
$51,385
Crawford
2,494
19.5%
3.0
-28
$23
1.4%
$34,307
Cumberland
1,172
16.2%
2.5
-70
-$208
-18.4%
$24,210
DeKalb
12,952
10.7%
1.9
1,609
-$95
-6.0%
$31,893
DeWitt
1,595
15.5%
2.6
-160
$269
15.0%
$37,613
Douglas
1,462
12.1%
2.1
109
-$1
-0.1%
$29,964
DuPage
45,560
5.8%
1.3
19,682
-$138
-5.4%
$50,420
Edgar
2,415
19.2%
3.1
-140
-$197
-14.0%
$28,029
Edwards
705
15.5%
2.4
-189
-$54
-3.5%
$29,160
Effingham
3,139
12.8%
2.8
342
$244
14.2%
$29,370
Fayette
3,048
22.1%
1.4
50
-$288
-22.8%
$26,301
Ford
1,248
12.1%
2.5
-46
-$41
-2.4%
$28,780
Franklin
6,517
26.0%
4.9
74
-$99
-7.4%
$27,039
Fulton
4,245
17.6%
3.2
363
-$91
-7.2%
$25,428
Gallatin
1,146
27.7%
3.9
143
-$34
-1.8%
$30,141
Greene
1,945
19.7%
1.3
19
-$334
-31.2%
$23,351
Grundy
2,303
7.1%
3.0
279
$336
14.4%
$43,408
126
Net Job Flow,
2005129
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2005.
Ibid.
FDIC Regional Economic Conditions. (2007). Personal bankruptcy filing rate (per 1,000 population) Illinois. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www2.fdic.gov/recon/ovrpt.asp?CPT_CODE=NBR&ST_CODE=17&RPT_TYPE=Tables
129
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Employment Dynamics. (n.d.). LEHD state of Illinois county reports – Quarterly Workforce Indicators. Retrieved January 15, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/LED/default.htm,
calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
130
Ibid.
131
Ibid.
132
Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Economic Accounts. (2006, December). Local Area Personal Income, Average wage per job. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.bea.gov/bea/regional/reis/
127
128
42
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Appendix
Income & Poverty (continued)
County
Number of People
in Poverty, 2005126
Poverty Rate for
Population Under
Age 18, 2005127
Illinois
1,484,992
16.5%
2.3
Hamilton
1,115
21.0%
Hancock
2,061
Hardin
Henderson
Bankruptcies Per
1,000 People,
2006128
Change in Average
New Hire Monthly
Earnings, 2004 to
2005130
Percent Change in
Average New Hire
Monthly Earnings,
2004 to 2005131
Average Wage per
Job, 2006132
114,631
$73
3.3%
$45,032
1.9
48
-$134
-10.7%
$25,917
15.3%
2.1
-2
$775
35.2%
$24,877
855
28.3%
2.6
95
-$327
-31.7%
$24,964
927
18.3%
2.3
-73
-$137
-11.0%
$23,205
Henry
5,129
15.2%
2.1
430
-$218
-16.8%
$27,048
Iroquois
3,143
15.7%
1.9
204
$194
9.3%
$26,252
Jackson
15,281
27.1%
3.2
719
-$165
-12.0%
$27,979
Jasper
1,076
15.8%
1.8
-25
-$33
-2.3%
$30,217
Jefferson
5,896
23.0%
2.9
-62
-$184
-12.4%
$32,320
Jersey
1,760
11.5%
1.8
164
$21
1.6%
$25,096
Jo Daviess
2,003
13.2%
0.7
248
-$12
-0.8%
$26,957
Johnson
1,607
19.0%
3.2
87
$24
1.5%
$27,854
Kane
40,414
11.4%
1.4
8,822
-$151
-8.6%
$39,182
Kankakee
13,510
18.6%
3.2
2,101
-$146
-8.9%
$32,222
Kendall
2,431
4.3%
1.9
2,641
$8
0.4%
$37,515
Knox
7,162
21.3%
3.2
198
$151
9.8%
$28,581
Lake
48,048
8.9%
1.6
9,166
-$102
-3.9%
$51,844
LaSalle
12,793
16.5%
2.7
623
-$178
-11.0%
$32,861
Lawrence
2,163
21.6%
1.8
-180
$132
7.4%
$27,938
Lee
3,017
12.0%
2.4
-154
-$211
-12.4%
$33,227
Livingston
3,481
12.9%
2.3
129
-$457
-28.8%
$34,126
Logan
2,962
16.4%
2.7
255
-$105
-6.6%
$29,762
Macon
16,121
24.5%
3.2
171
-$105
-5.8%
$39,193
Macoupin
4,940
15.4%
1.7
51
$40
2.9%
$28,000
Madison
28,253
14.9%
3.5
1,219
-$125
-7.1%
$34,625
Marion
6,277
23.6%
3.3
540
-$202
-14.1%
$29,871
Marshall
1,034
11.3%
2.9
-72
-$79
-5.3%
$28,717
Mason
2,198
20.4%
2.4
39
-$55
-4.2%
$27,026
Massac
2,462
23.9%
4.3
-37
-$328
-22.4%
$34,687
McDonough
5,596
21.6%
1.6
-32
-$56
-4.6%
$27,696
McHenry
13,922
5.5%
1.6
3,857
-$3
-0.2%
$37,083
McLean
16,664
11.3%
2.1
570
$68
3.7%
$40,645
Menard
1,166
13.7%
1.4
126
-$196
-16.7%
$23,936
Mercer
1,342
12.0%
2.0
121
$100
7.4%
$23,943
Monroe
1,177
4.3%
1.9
221
$81
5.3%
$28,776
126
Net Job Flow,
2005129
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2005.
Ibid.
FDIC Regional Economic Conditions. (2007). Personal bankruptcy filing rate (per 1,000 population) Illinois. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www2.fdic.gov/recon/ovrpt.asp?CPT_CODE=NBR&ST_CODE=17&RPT_TYPE=Tables
129
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Employment Dynamics. (n.d.). LEHD state of Illinois county reports – Quarterly Workforce Indicators. Retrieved January 15, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/LED/default.htm,
calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
130
Ibid.
131
Ibid.
132
Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Economic Accounts. (2006, December). Local Area Personal Income, Average wage per job. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.bea.gov/bea/regional/reis/
127
128
Appendix
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
43
Income & Poverty (continued)
County
Number of People
in Poverty, 2005126
Poverty Rate for
Population Under
Age 18, 2005127
Illinois
1,484,992
16.5%
2.3
Montgomery
4,259
20.1%
Morgan
4,384
Moultrie
Bankruptcies Per
1,000 People,
2006128
Change in Average
New Hire Monthly
Earnings, 2004 to
2005130
Percent Change in
Average New Hire
Monthly Earnings,
2004 to 2005131
Average Wage per
Job, 2006132
114,631
$73
3.3%
$45,032
2.5
-25
$93
6.6%
$28,926
18.4%
2.0
-384
-$26
-1.7%
$30,377
1,328
14.2%
2.2
-140
-$62
-3.6%
$28,857
Ogle
4,500
11.2%
2.0
-34
$59
3.0%
$35,601
Peoria
22,272
21.2%
3.4
2,907
$36
1.9%
$40,556
Perry
3,290
22.4%
2.8
-141
$175
11.0%
$28,470
Piatt
1,017
8.0%
2.0
120
-$112
-8.3%
$26,573
Pike
2,343
19.6%
1.8
62
-$233
-20.1%
$23,924
Pope
690
29.6%
0.7
31
-$457
-52.9%
$23,726
Pulaski
1,856
41.9%
5.8
164
-$23
-1.2%
$28,836
Putnam
402
10.0%
2.2
67
-$212
-9.9%
$37,036
Randolph
3,759
18.2%
2.7
-10
-$27
-1.9%
$31,671
Richland
2,374
21.7%
1.4
324
$135
10.0%
$26,427
Rock Island
19,115
21.4%
2.7
1,566
-$86
-5.1%
$43,386
Saline
5,110
32.3%
3.4
129
-$283
-16.6%
$30,515
Sangamon
21,079
17.3%
2.1
1,631
$48
2.5%
$37,945
Schuyler
777
16.1%
2.3
91
-$389
-27.3%
$33,002
Scott
566
14.9%
1.3
199
-$497
-31.4%
$30,821
Shelby
2,295
14.8%
1.5
-44
-$5
-0.4%
$25,143
St. Clair
33,041
19.4%
4.6
1,797
-$37
-2.1%
$35,934
627
15.8%
2.7
89
$280
15.8%
$26,582
Stephenson
5,010
16.1%
3.2
214
-$88
-5.3%
$34,284
Tazewell
11,046
12.6%
2.9
1,827
-$114
-5.9%
$47,789
Union
2,878
22.8%
3.1
25
-$65
-5.2%
$27,459
Vermilion
14,435
27.0%
3.2
-136
-$73
-4.6%
$33,180
Wabash
1,829
20.1%
1.3
278
-$395
-27.5%
$29,269
Warren
2,160
18.6%
2.7
-10
$424
21.7%
$26,581
Washington
1,138
9.9%
2.1
-62
$137
7.8%
$31,607
Wayne
2,465
20.0%
1.3
467
-$472
-28.6%
$25,468
White
2,085
21.5%
1.5
47
$23
1.4%
$27,974
Whiteside
6,338
16.6%
2.0
283
$42
2.8%
$29,685
Will
33,952
6.8%
2.3
10,444
-$65
-3.2%
$38,148
Williamson
7,982
19.9%
4.5
1,492
-$111
-7.8%
$30,289
Winnebago
33,725
18.7%
4.0
3,287
-$216
-13.0%
$36,282
Woodford
1,977
7.6%
1.3
601
$58
3.4%
$29,771
Stark
126
Net Job Flow,
2005129
U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 2005.
Ibid.
FDIC Regional Economic Conditions. (2007). Personal bankruptcy filing rate (per 1,000 population) Illinois. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www2.fdic.gov/recon/ovrpt.asp?CPT_CODE=NBR&ST_CODE=17&RPT_TYPE=Tables
129
Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Employment Dynamics. (n.d.). LEHD state of Illinois county reports – Quarterly Workforce Indicators. Retrieved January 15, 2008, from http://lmi.ides.state.il.us/LED/default.htm,
calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
130
Ibid.
131
Ibid.
132
Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Economic Accounts. (2006, December). Local Area Personal Income, Average wage per job. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.bea.gov/bea/regional/reis/
127
128
44
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Appendix
Housing
County
Renters as
a Percent of
Total Households,
2000133
Illinois
33%
$844
$14.58
$758
$16.23
216%
87
Adams
26%
528
$9.50
$494
$10.15
135%
54
Alexander
28%
528
$6.52
$339
$10.15
135%
54
Bond
20%
528
$7.79
$405
$10.15
135%
54
Boone
21%
666
$14.25
$741
$12.81
171%
68
Brown
26%
528
$9.24
$480
$10.15
135%
54
Bureau
24%
574
$11.14
$579
$11.04
147%
59
Calhoun
19%
711
$7.02
$365
$13.67
182%
73
Carroll
23%
571
$9.44
$491
$10.98
146%
59
Cass
25%
528
$9.65
$502
$10.15
135%
54
Champaign
44%
662
$9.01
$469
$12.73
170%
68
Christian
24%
528
$8.41
$438
$10.15
135%
54
Clark
22%
528
$9.07
$472
$10.15
135%
54
Clay
20%
528
$9.33
$485
$10.15
135%
54
Clinton
20%
711
$7.89
$410
$13.67
182%
73
Coles
38%
562
$6.90
$359
$10.81
144%
58
Cook
42%
944
$17.66
$918
$18.15
242%
97
Crawford
20%
528
$12.43
$646
$10.15
135%
54
Cumberland
18%
550
$7.20
$375
$10.58
141%
56
DeKalb
40%
784
$9.29
$483
$15.08
201%
80
DeWitt
25%
530
$12.14
$631
$10.19
136%
54
Douglas
23%
550
$9.72
$505
$10.58
141%
56
DuPage
24%
944
$16.24
$844
$18.15
242%
97
Edgar
25%
528
$8.77
$456
$10.15
135%
54
Edwards
19%
528
$8.94
$465
$10.15
135%
54
Effingham
24%
560
$9.34
$486
$10.77
144%
57
Fayette
20%
528
$8.06
$419
$10.15
135%
54
Ford
24%
662
$10.18
$529
$12.73
170%
68
Franklin
22%
528
$7.54
$392
$10.15
135%
54
Fulton
24%
528
$7.33
$381
$10.15
135%
54
Gallatin
19%
528
$8.04
$418
$10.15
135%
54
Greene
24%
531
$8.55
$445
$10.21
136%
54
Grundy
28%
817
$14.96
$778
$15.71
209%
84
133
Fair Market Rent
(FMR) for 2BR,
2008134
Estimate of Mean
Renter Hourly
Wage, 2008135
Monthly Rent
Affordable at
Mean Renter
Wage, 2008136
Wage Needed to
Afford 2BR FMR,
2008137
2BR Housing
Wage as a Percent
of IL Minimum
Wage, 2008138
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008). Out of reach 2008. Washington, DC: Author.
Ibid.
Ibid.
136
Ibid.
137
Ibid.
138
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008). Out of reach 2008. Washington, DC: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
139
Ibid.
134
135
Work Hours per
Week at IL Min.
Wage to Afford
2BR FMR, 2008139
Appendix
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
45
Housing (continued)
County
Renters as
a Percent of
Total Households,
2000133
Illinois
33%
$844
$14.58
$758
$16.23
216%
87
Hamilton
18%
528
$6.93
$361
$10.15
135%
54
Hancock
20%
528
$8.60
$447
$10.15
135%
54
Hardin
20%
528
$7.70
$400
$10.15
135%
54
Henderson
21%
528
$7.49
$390
$10.15
135%
54
Henry
21%
643
$8.69
$452
$12.37
165%
66
Iroquois
24%
528
$9.55
$497
$10.15
135%
54
Jackson
47%
549
$6.58
$342
$10.56
141%
56
Jasper
17%
528
$9.08
$472
$10.15
135%
54
Jefferson
26%
552
$9.51
$495
$10.62
142%
57
Jersey
22%
711
$6.78
$353
$13.67
182%
73
Jo Daviess
23%
528
$7.89
$410
$10.15
135%
54
Johnson
15%
528
$5.49
$286
$10.15
135%
54
Kane
24%
944
$11.17
$581
$18.15
242%
97
Kankakee
31%
674
$10.20
$530
$12.96
173%
69
Kendall
16%
917
$11.95
$621
$17.63
235%
94
Knox
28%
559
$7.83
$407
$10.75
143%
57
Lake
22%
944
$14.31
$744
$18.15
242%
97
LaSalle
25%
621
$10.49
$546
$11.94
159%
64
Lawrence
23%
528
$10.35
$538
$10.15
135%
54
Lee
26%
561
$10.48
$545
$10.79
144%
58
Livingston
26%
605
$10.97
$570
$11.63
155%
62
Logan
29%
543
$9.33
$485
$10.44
139%
56
Macon
28%
577
$11.27
$586
$11.10
148%
59
Macoupin
21%
584
$9.10
$473
$11.23
150%
60
Madison
26%
711
$10.00
$520
$13.67
182%
73
Marion
23%
528
$7.45
$387
$10.15
135%
54
Marshall
20%
623
$8.99
$468
$11.98
160%
64
Mason
23%
528
$8.76
$456
$10.15
135%
54
Massac
21%
528
$10.27
$534
$10.15
135%
54
McDonough
37%
528
$5.76
$300
$10.15
135%
54
McHenry
17%
944
$10.80
$562
$18.15
242%
97
McLean
34%
673
$12.22
$636
$12.94
173%
69
Menard
21%
623
$6.27
$326
$11.98
160%
64
Mercer
20%
643
$8.05
$419
$12.37
165%
66
Monroe
20%
711
$9.35
$486
$13.67
182%
73
133
Fair Market Rent
(FMR) for 2BR,
2008134
Estimate of Mean
Renter Hourly
Wage, 2008135
Monthly Rent
Affordable at
Mean Renter
Wage, 2008136
Wage Needed to
Afford 2BR FMR,
2008137
2BR Housing
Wage as a Percent
of IL Minimum
Wage, 2008138
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008). Out of reach 2008. Washington, DC: Author.
Ibid.
Ibid.
136
Ibid.
137
Ibid.
138
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008). Out of reach 2008. Washington, DC: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
139
Ibid.
134
135
Work Hours per
Week at IL Min.
Wage to Afford
2BR FMR, 2008139
46
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Appendix
Housing (continued)
County
Renters as
a Percent of
Total Households,
2000133
Illinois
33%
$844
$14.58
$758
$16.23
216%
87
Montgomery
22%
528
$9.01
$469
$10.15
135%
54
Morgan
30%
570
$8.84
$459
$10.96
146%
58
Moultrie
22%
542
$10.51
$546
$10.42
139%
56
Ogle
26%
628
$11.90
$619
$12.08
161%
64
Peoria
32%
623
$11.61
$604
$11.98
160%
64
Perry
21%
528
$8.32
$433
$10.15
135%
54
Piatt
20%
662
$9.43
$491
$12.73
170%
68
Pike
23%
528
$7.65
$398
$10.15
135%
54
Pope
18%
528
$5.06
$263
$10.15
135%
54
Pulaski
24%
528
$8.72
$453
$10.15
135%
54
Putnam
18%
549
$13.17
$685
$10.56
141%
56
Randolph
21%
528
$9.71
$505
$10.15
135%
54
Richland
24%
528
$7.71
$401
$10.15
135%
54
Rock Island
30%
643
$12.44
$647
$12.37
165%
66
Saline
24%
528
$8.78
$547
$10.15
135%
54
Sangamon
30%
623
$10.49
$546
$11.98
160%
64
Schuyler
21%
528
$13.95
$725
$10.15
135%
54
Scott
22%
531
$11.38
$592
$10.21
136%
54
Shelby
19%
528
$8.21
$427
$10.15
135%
54
St. Clair
33%
711
$10.44
$543
$13.67
182%
73
Stark
23%
623
$9.93
$516
$11.98
160%
64
Stephenson
25%
611
$10.58
$550
$11.75
157%
63
Tazewell
24%
623
$14.56
$757
$11.98
160%
64
Union
25%
528
$6.55
$341
$10.15
135%
54
Vermilion
28%
562
$10.01
$520
$10.81
144%
58
Wabash
25%
528
$7.49
$389
$10.15
135%
54
Warren
26%
528
$9.47
$493
$10.15
135%
54
Washington
19%
528
$11.30
$588
$10.15
135%
54
Wayne
20%
528
$8.28
$431
$10.15
135%
54
White
22%
528
$8.78
$456
$10.15
135%
54
Whiteside
26%
586
$8.59
$447
$11.27
150%
60
Will
17%
944
$10.00
$520
$18.15
242%
97
Williamson
26%
528
$8.35
$434
$10.15
135%
54
Winnebago
30%
666
$10.97
$570
$12.81
171%
68
Woodford
17%
623
$9.46
$492
$11.98
160%
64
133
Fair Market Rent
(FMR) for 2BR,
2008134
Estimate of Mean
Renter Hourly
Wage, 2008135
Monthly Rent
Affordable at
Mean Renter
Wage, 2008136
Wage Needed to
Afford 2BR FMR,
2008137
2BR Housing
Wage as a Percent
of IL Minimum
Wage, 2008138
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008). Out of reach 2008. Washington, DC: Author.
Ibid.
Ibid.
136
Ibid.
137
Ibid.
138
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2008). Out of reach 2008. Washington, DC: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
139
Ibid.
134
135
Work Hours per
Week at IL Min.
Wage to Afford
2BR FMR, 2008139
Appendix
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
47
Health & Education
County
ISBE High School
Grad Rate for LowIncome Students,
2006-2007140
Point Change in
Grad Rate for LowIncome Students
from Previous
Year141
Illinois
74.9%
-1.6%
Adams
80.7%
Alexander
Percent of 11th
Graders That
Passed PSAE
Reading Tests,
2006-2007142
Point Change in
Rate of 11th Graders That Passed
PSAE Reading
Tests from Previous Year143
Percent of Children
Eligible for Free
or Reduced-Price
School Lunches,
2007144
Point Change in
Percent of Children
Eligible for Free
or Reduced-Price
School Lunches,
2000 to 2007145
Percentage of
Babies Born
Low Birth Weight,
2005146
54.1%
-4.3%
46.9%
5.4%
8.6%
1.4%
53.8%
-0.6%
39.6%
4.4%
7.5%
87.7%
-1.5%
19.5%
-4.1%
78.6%
0.1%
11.5%
Bond
70.3%
-0.8%
60.5%
2.7%
33.9%
5.0%
5.8%
Boone
85.0%
-1.7%
56.8%
1.0%
33.7%
15.1%
7.4%
Brown
100.0%
0.0%
43.3%
-4.2%
37.5%
13.0%
1.9%
Bureau
68.3%
-17.2%
52.7%
-1.4%
34.0%
10.1%
7.1%
Calhoun
100.0%
7.7%
56.1%
-1.7%
36.0%
13.0%
3.4%
Carroll
100.0%
38.8%
52.9%
-6.8%
37.5%
10.0%
8.1%
Cass
90.0%
1.1%
46.7%
-5.3%
52.3%
13.0%
6.0%
Champaign
85.2%
6.6%
57.5%
-6.8%
39.7%
8.3%
8.6%
Christian
69.9%
0.9%
50.0%
-7.4%
39.1%
9.3%
10.7%
Clark
83.3%
-13.8%
57.6%
-2.6%
35.8%
10.2%
5.9%
Clay
84.8%
-3.7%
51.9%
3.3%
45.1%
12.3%
8.6%
Clinton
66.7%
3.6%
59.0%
2.0%
21.5%
2.3%
6.2%
Coles
84.2%
1.8%
55.1%
-6.2%
38.2%
10.1%
7.1%
Cook
72.1%
-1.8%
51.5%
-1.8%
64.9%
4.2%
9.5%
Crawford
83.1%
-4.4%
53.2%
-5.0%
39.9%
10.4%
6.0%
Cumberland
88.0%
-7.7%
57.1%
1.8%
33.4%
11.0%
3.7%
DeKalb
85.7%
-0.4%
55.6%
-3.0%
21.8%
9.5%
6.3%
DeWitt
82.5%
-6.7%
51.0%
-7.5%
34.7%
12.0%
11.7%
Douglas
92.0%
-8.0%
50.5%
-13.6%
25.0%
7.6%
4.3%
DuPage
88.5%
-0.9%
67.6%
-4.0%
20.0%
8.1%
7.5%
Edgar
95.1%
3.1%
43.2%
-17.2%
39.0%
8.8%
6.7%
Edwards
100.0%
0.0%
62.0%
-3.7%
27.6%
-1.1%
4.0%
Effingham
90.5%
5.0%
57.3%
3.5%
27.5%
5.4%
7.5%
Fayette
91.6%
7.5%
49.3%
-1.2%
48.8%
14.7%
8.7%
Ford
94.6%
18.5%
65.6%
1.2%
29.1%
9.7%
7.6%
Franklin
82.4%
-10.6%
47.6%
-7.5%
51.3%
11.3%
6.8%
Fulton
72.4%
-7.0%
48.6%
3.3%
42.1%
5.3%
7.8%
Gallatin
100.0%
0.0%
58.3%
-6.5%
55.0%
11.6%
9.8%
Greene
55.9%
-11.8%
42.4%
-7.9%
39.9%
4.7%
8.3%
Grundy
90.6%
-5.6%
59.0%
-0.9%
17.6%
5.5%
6.4%
140
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author.
143
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
144
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). Nutrition programs, Free and Reduced-Price Meal eligibility data. Retrieved January 31, 2008, from http://www.isbe.state.il.us/nutrition/htmls/eligibility_listings.htm, calculation conducted
by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
145
Ibid.
146
Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Policy, Planning & Statistics. (2008, January). Vital records, resident birth file. On file with author.
141
142
48
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Appendix
Health & Education (continued)
County
ISBE High School
Grad Rate for LowIncome Students,
2006-2007140
Point Change in
Grad Rate for LowIncome Students
from Previous
Year141
Illinois
Hamilton
74.9%
76.2%
-1.6%
-23.8%
Hancock
85.9%
Hardin
Percent of 11th
Graders That
Passed PSAE
Reading Tests,
2006-2007142
Point Change in
Rate of 11th Graders That Passed
PSAE Reading
Tests from Previous Year143
Percent of Children
Eligible for Free
or Reduced-Price
School Lunches,
2007144
Point Change in
Percent of Children
Eligible for Free
or Reduced-Price
School Lunches,
2000 to 2007145
Percentage of
Babies Born
Low Birth Weight,
2005146
54.1%
46.2%
-4.3%
-12.9%
46.9%
42.6%
5.4%
10.1%
8.6%
10.4%
-2.0%
47.2%
-13.6%
39.3%
9.2%
5.0%
65.0%
-35.0%
52.9%
18.1%
55.8%
6.4%
8.9%
Henderson
64.0%
20.0%
46.4%
-5.8%
45.4%
10.9%
3.6%
Henry
82.3%
-10.9%
56.0%
-2.5%
31.7%
8.2%
5.4%
Iroquois
79.4%
6.3%
49.2%
-10.5%
36.4%
6.5%
5.0%
Jackson
90.8%
17.0%
52.5%
-3.9%
50.1%
7.7%
8.3%
Jasper
100.0%
10.0%
56.7%
4.4%
35.1%
5.4%
6.8%
Jefferson
71.7%
12.7%
45.2%
-6.5%
44.2%
7.3%
10.0%
Jersey
100.0%
0.0%
50.9%
-1.9%
31.2%
8.1%
8.7%
Jo Daviess
80.4%
-4.0%
53.8%
1.7%
26.3%
7.6%
4.1%
Johnson
95.1%
-4.9%
55.6%
-2.9%
43.4%
8.6%
5.1%
Kane
76.9%
-1.6%
51.9%
-5.7%
39.2%
11.6%
7.4%
Kankakee
70.1%
-5.7%
49.7%
-6.3%
43.1%
5.2%
8.9%
Kendall
80.0%
-11.7%
54.0%
-5.8%
15.7%
9.2%
7.1%
Knox
67.6%
-1.5%
57.5%
0.9%
48.0%
14.4%
10.0%
Lake
80.5%
-7.7%
64.5%
-2.8%
31.7%
8.0%
7.4%
LaSalle
71.7%
-9.2%
54.2%
-2.8%
33.8%
8.9%
9.3%
Lawrence
84.6%
-2.4%
37.5%
-16.9%
42.1%
4.5%
6.7%
Lee
82.7%
10.0%
58.2%
4.1%
31.6%
10.4%
7.7%
Livingston
89.2%
4.7%
53.3%
-1.9%
33.0%
9.5%
10.2%
Logan
74.5%
3.4%
57.2%
-2.4%
34.5%
11.0%
7.5%
Macon
61.9%
-3.3%
51.9%
-3.6%
46.4%
9.0%
9.7%
Macoupin
82.3%
2.1%
55.7%
-4.0%
35.0%
11.6%
7.7%
Madison
83.6%
-3.4%
54.1%
-6.8%
36.6%
6.8%
8.4%
Marion
71.2%
4.7%
46.6%
-4.5%
51.5%
14.1%
7.4%
Marshall
87.0%
-13.0%
47.7%
-8.9%
32.8%
9.0%
8.3%
Mason
84.1%
2.1%
48.8%
-5.1%
40.3%
8.8%
10.9%
Massac
91.4%
10.6%
46.8%
-8.8%
47.5%
8.8%
9.5%
McDonough
93.2%
-6.8%
58.7%
-4.1%
44.6%
11.8%
8.2%
McHenry
74.9%
-1.5%
59.5%
-5.2%
14.4%
5.9%
6.7%
McLean
77.3%
-6.9%
62.5%
-4.0%
27.3%
5.2%
9.1%
Menard
79.3%
-20.7%
62.8%
0.5%
22.5%
2.0%
5.5%
Mercer
96.2%
4.9%
50.4%
-0.4%
30.8%
7.2%
6.1%
Monroe
90.3%
11.7%
61.2%
-9.2%
9.8%
3.5%
10.1%
140
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author.
143
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
144
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). Nutrition programs, Free and Reduced-Price Meal eligibility data. Retrieved January 31, 2008, from http://www.isbe.state.il.us/nutrition/htmls/eligibility_listings.htm, calculation conducted
by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
145
Ibid.
146
Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Policy, Planning & Statistics. (2008, January). Vital records, resident birth file. On file with author.
141
142
Appendix
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
49
Health & Education (continued)
County
ISBE High School
Grad Rate for LowIncome Students,
2006-2007140
Point Change in
Grad Rate for LowIncome Students
from Previous
Year141
Illinois
Montgomery
74.9%
72.8%
-1.6%
-3.1%
Morgan
91.9%
Moultrie
Percent of 11th
Graders That
Passed PSAE
Reading Tests,
2006-2007142
Point Change in
Rate of 11th Graders That Passed
PSAE Reading
Tests from Previous Year143
Percent of Children
Eligible for Free
or Reduced-Price
School Lunches,
2007144
Point Change in
Percent of Children
Eligible for Free
or Reduced-Price
School Lunches,
2000 to 2007145
Percentage of
Babies Born
Low Birth Weight,
2005146
54.1%
51.9%
-4.3%
-10.4%
46.9%
39.3%
5.4%
9.5%
8.6%
8.1%
8.6%
52.5%
-4.8%
39.9%
8.7%
7.9%
97.1%
-2.9%
56.7%
1.6%
29.6%
10.2%
5.2%
Ogle
83.8%
1.6%
58.0%
-1.9%
23.3%
9.3%
7.1%
Peoria
87.0%
2.9%
52.0%
-0.9%
43.3%
5.1%
9.7%
Perry
66.7%
-7.6%
45.4%
-2.3%
32.5%
4.2%
6.0%
Piatt
79.4%
-6.3%
69.8%
-2.7%
22.1%
4.6%
9.1%
Pike
73.5%
-16.6%
53.3%
-7.5%
40.0%
8.1%
6.1%
Pope
82.4%
20.9%
58.1%
-16.9%
45.5%
11.5%
2.5%
Pulaski
100.0%
0.0%
30.5%
-2.4%
77.4%
-6.7%
14.4%
Putnam
75.0%
8.3%
61.3%
4.0%
28.6%
5.1%
9.5%
Randolph
77.8%
-10.3%
41.1%
-6.9%
33.8%
6.8%
7.7%
Richland
76.3%
-21.3%
54.1%
-4.9%
39.9%
3.9%
5.5%
Rock Island
77.8%
-9.2%
48.0%
-2.2%
43.7%
8.4%
6.7%
Saline
67.1%
-23.9%
43.8%
-10.4%
49.1%
13.5%
8.2%
Sangamon
88.3%
7.3%
58.0%
-1.9%
48.0%
14.2%
9.3%
Schuyler
93.8%
17.9%
51.5%
2.5%
43.9%
10.2%
5.6%
Scott
75.0%
-2.8%
54.7%
1.1%
34.6%
9.4%
5.9%
Shelby
67.2%
-28.5%
53.8%
-13.0%
33.4%
6.4%
4.0%
St. Clair
63.2%
-17.1%
53.1%
-5.3%
43.5%
4.4%
10.0%
Stark
87.5%
-12.5%
63.6%
3.9%
33.4%
17.1%
7.6%
Stephenson
87.3%
12.0%
57.2%
-8.0%
41.1%
10.9%
8.8%
Tazewell
82.1%
-13.9%
61.8%
-0.4%
28.1%
7.2%
7.4%
Union
79.1%
12.4%
41.3%
-13.6%
49.2%
7.3%
4.3%
Vermilion
69.7%
10.9%
46.9%
-6.0%
51.2%
11.1%
9.9%
Wabash
91.4%
24.7%
51.9%
-2.4%
33.2%
9.9%
4.8%
Warren
72.7%
-11.3%
52.8%
-10.1%
44.1%
11.9%
6.1%
Washington
66.7%
-26.2%
67.5%
3.4%
22.1%
4.4%
6.3%
Wayne
65.6%
-30.4%
52.3%
-8.5%
39.8%
6.2%
5.7%
White
68.6%
-9.2%
54.0%
7.7%
41.0%
2.9%
4.8%
Whiteside
72.8%
-0.7%
51.9%
-8.2%
34.6%
8.5%
5.4%
Will
79.6%
-2.3%
56.8%
-2.9%
28.3%
6.2%
7.0%
Williamson
96.3%
0.3%
50.0%
-10.2%
40.7%
2.4%
8.0%
Winnebago
77.4%
12.3%
47.2%
-7.2%
52.5%
13.3%
10.3%
Woodford
90.8%
-6.7%
63.5%
5.1%
18.8%
4.9%
6.7%
140
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author.
143
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 State school report cards. Springfield, IL: Author, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
144
Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). Nutrition programs, Free and Reduced-Price Meal eligibility data. Retrieved January 31, 2008, from http://www.isbe.state.il.us/nutrition/htmls/eligibility_listings.htm, calculation conducted
by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
145
Ibid.
146
Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Policy, Planning & Statistics. (2008, January). Vital records, resident birth file. On file with author.
141
142
50
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Appendix
Congressional District Income & Poverty
Illinois 109th
Congressional
District
Illinois
Number of People
in Poverty, 2006147
Poverty Rate,
2006148
Number of People
Under Age 18 in
Poverty, 2006149
Poverty Rate for
Population Under
Age 18, 2006150
Number of People
in Extreme Poverty,
2006151
Extreme Poverty
Rate, 2006152
Median Household
Income, 2006153
1,539,033
12.3%
543,373
17.1%
685,970
5.5%
$52,006
Congressional
District 1
138,176
21.8%
52,979
30.4%
67,166
10.6%
$40,578
Congressional
District 2
118,360
18.7%
50,087
26.8%
55,581
8.8%
$43,830
Congressional
District 3
61,860
9.6%
23,565
14.2%
27,217
4.2%
$53,550
Congressional
District 4
140,027
23.3%
58,698
32.5%
57,868
9.6%
$38,620
Congressional
District 5
72,771
11.1%
21,471
15.1%
31,377
4.8%
$55,561
Congressional
District 6
42,190
6.5%
14,209
8.9%
14,835
2.3%
$65,818
Congressional
District 7
140,387
23.2%
52,948
34.8%
73,618
12.2%
$47,113
Congressional
District 8
44,094
6.0%
15,582
8.0%
19,867
2.7%
$70,694
Congressional
District 9
76,490
12.4%
19,257
15.3%
29,202
4.7%
$51,464
Congressional
District 10
34,461
5.4%
13,974
8.0%
16,755
2.6%
$78,269
Congressional
District 11
71,616
9.9%
22,130
12.2%
29,075
4.0%
$55,759
Congressional
District 12
91,786
14.6%
32,613
21.8%
42,071
6.7%
$40,705
Congressional
District 13
31,433
4.1%
10,714
5.0%
14,351
1.9%
$80,703
Congressional
District 14
67,213
8.6%
23,974
11.2%
31,093
4.0%
$62,067
Congressional
District 15
94,518
15.1%
25,499
18.1%
44,013
7.0%
$42,633
Congressional
District 16
72,563
10.2%
24,074
13.2%
31,041
4.4%
$52,192
Congressional
District 17
95,522
15.9%
33,654
24.7%
38,883
6.5%
$38,792
Congressional
District 18
65,754
10.4%
21,862
15.1%
25,026
4.0%
$47,375
Congressional
District 19
79,812
12.4%
26,083
17.3%
36,931
5.7%
$43,922
To find Representatives by district, go to http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
147
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.
Ibid.
Ibid.
150
Ibid.
151
Ibid.
152
Ibid.
153
Ibid.
148
149
Definitions and Data Notes
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
51
Deinitions and Data Notes
Deinitions
Consumer Purchasing Power: The value of money measured by the quantity and quality of the goods and services it can buy.154
Disability: A long-lasting physical, mental, or emotional condition that can make it dificult for a person to do activities such as
walking, climbing stairs, dressing, bathing, learning, or remembering. This condition can also impede a person from being able to
go outside the home alone or to work.155
Fair Market Rent: Fair Market Rents (FMRs) are used to determine the eligibility of rental housing units for Section 8 Housing
Assistance. For a more detailed explanation of their uses and how they are calculated, see http://www.huduser.org/datasets/fmr/
fmrover.doc
Food Insecurity: A family is considered food insecure if they did not have access at all times to enough food for an active,
healthy life for all household members.156
Household Net Worth: This is the difference between household assets and household liabilities.157
Human Rights: Universal rights belonging to individuals by virtue of their being human. Human rights encompass civil, political,
economic, social, and cultural rights and freedoms and are based on the notion of personal human dignity and worth.
Hunger: A family is considered to have experienced hunger if food intake of one or more adults was reduced and their eating
patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money and other resources for food.158
Poverty: See page 9.
Rent-burdened Households (unaffordable housing): Households are rent burdened when they spend over 30% of their
income for housing. Renter costs include contract rent plus the estimated average monthly cost of utilities (electricity, gas, water,
and sewer) and fuels (oil, coal, kerosene, wood, etc.) if these are paid by the renter (or paid for the renter by someone else).159
Structural Deficit: An economic term used to describe a situation where a state’s tax revenue scheme, including types of tax,
rates, and base (that is, items subject to a particular tax) will not bring in enough money to continue funding current service levels,
when changing economic and demographic conditions are considered.160
Subprime Mortgage: Subprime mortgages are loans offered to higher-risk borrowers (e.g., those with lower credit scores) and
feature higher interest than prevailing rates, higher upfront origination fees, and higher pre-payment penalties.161
154
Investorwords.com. (n.d.). Purchasing power. Retrieved November 17, 2006, from http://www.investorwords.com/3959/purchasing_power.html
U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Disability. Retrieved December 21, 2006, from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability/disability.html
Nord, M., Andrews, M., & Carlson, S. (2007, November). Household food security in the United States, 2006. Economic Research Report Number 49. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
157
CFED. (2007). Net worth of households. Retrieved January 2, 2007, from http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?showmeasures=1&parentid=&siteid=504&id=509&measureid=2840
158
Nord, M., Andrews, M., & Carlson, S. (2007, November). Household food security in the United States, 2006. Economic Research Report Number 49. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
159
U.S. Census Bureau. (2006). American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey: 2005 subject definitions. Washington, DC: Author.
160
Martire, R.M. (2005). Fiscal system basics. Chicago: Center for Tax and Budget Accountability.
161
Agarwal, S., & Ho, C.T. (2007, August). Comparing the prime and subprime mortgage markets. Chicago Fed Letter, Number 241. Chicago: The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
155
156
52
2008 Report on Illinois Poverty
Definitions and Data Notes
Data Notes
American Community Survey (ACS): The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey is used for income, poverty, and
housing estimates. The ACS is used for comparisons between the nation and states, for comparison of states with each other,
and for comparisons between states and smaller geographies. This report relies on the ACS income and poverty estimates, as
opposed to the Current Population Survey estimates, because using the ACS allows for comparisons between states and smaller
geographies. Due to a change in Census Bureau methodology in the ACS, poverty rate comparisons between 2005 and 2006 are
not valid, so this report discusses change over time from 1999 to 2006. For more information on the ACS visit http://www.census.
gov/acs/www/
Current Population Survey (CPS): The Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey March Supplement/Annual Social and
Economic Supplement is used for health insurance data and for cross tabulations that are not available through the ACS. The
Census Bureau recommends using a 2-year loating average when analyzing state data over time due to the small sample size
of the CPS; this increases conidence in the estimates. For more information about the CPS visit http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/
cpsmain.htm
Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): The Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates are used
for county poverty rates. The SAIPE’s calculations include information from the CPS, the 2000 Census, unemployment rates, and
other economic indicators to estimate levels of poverty in counties and school districts. The most recent SAIPE data were released
in 2007 and included poverty rates for 2005. For more information about the SAIPE visit http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/
saipe/
High School Graduation Rate Calculations: The graduation rates reported in the Education section and the County WellBeing Indicators section were provided by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and are derived from the School Report
Cards. The ISBE method of calculating graduation rates excludes students who transfer out of the school and into alternative
schools, which may result in inlated graduation rates.
Race and Ethnicity: The terms Hispanic and Black are used instead of Latino and African American in racial and ethnic
discussions because these are the categories the U.S. Census Bureau uses.
Regions: The regions included in the Midwest analysis relect the regional breakdowns designated by the Census Bureau.
Midwest region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio,
South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Northeast Region: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, and Vermont.
South Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
West Region: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming.
The Illinois Poverty Summit
The Illinois Poverty Summit was established in 2000 to develop
strategies to eliminate poverty in Illinois. Poverty in Illinois has
a wide reach — touching women, children, teens, seniors,
people with disabilities, and working families.
The Illinois Poverty Summit:
develops bipartisan support for strategic priorities to eliminate
poverty in Illinois;
analyzes current poverty data and serves as an information
source on trends impacting the state’s economic health; and
convenes legislators and other key civic leaders to determine
the most effective use of state and federal anti-poverty resources
and to develop new anti-poverty strategies.
Four precepts guide the Illinois Poverty Summit:
People who work full time should not live in poverty.
All people who can work should be given the tools to work
toward their fullest potential.
A safety net should be provided for those who cannot work.
Eliminating poverty is an investment in Illinois’ future.
Illinois Poverty Summit Steering Committee
Co-chairs
Civic and Corporate Leaders
U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin (D)
Ben Applegate
Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen
U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R)
Peggy Arizzi
Catholic Charities of Peoria
Elected Officials
State Representative Patricia Bellock (R)
State Representative Elizabeth Coulson (R)
State Senator William Delgado (D)
State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D)
State Representative Constance Howard (D)
State Senator Mattie Hunter (D)
State Representative Naomi Jakobsson (D)
State Senator David Luechtefeld (R)
State Senator Iris Martinez (D)
State Representative Sandra Pihos (R)
State Representative Robert Pritchard (R)
State Senator Dale Righter (R)
State Senator Heather Steans (D)
Illinois Poverty Summit
c/o Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights
4411 North Ravenswood Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60640
Ph 773.336.6075
Fx 773.506.6649
maip@heartlandalliance.org
John Bouman
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Mary Ellen Caron
Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services
Joe Dunn
Illinois Coalition for Community Service
Paul Kleppner
Northern Illinois University
Anne Ladky
Women Employed
Kate Maehr
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Jerry Stermer
Voices for Illinois Children
Paula Wolff
Chicago Metropolis 2020
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