A recent study by Prosperity Now shows Illinois is in the middle of the pack when it comes to family financial health.
It finds more than a third of Illinois households have virtually no savings. It also found that general prosperity is up since the Great Recession, but is heavily divided along racial lines, with white residents and businesses having significantly more growth on average than minorities. Senior Researcher Lebaron Sims said the savings issue can be remedied by certain policy measures.
“One of the ways to put some of that money back in their pocket, to help them build and maintain that safety net and keep them off the brink of financial disaster is by instituting a state level earned income tax credit [and] a child care tax credit," he said.
The group also took a more detailed look at municipal statistics, and found certain downstate counties had similar inequality and poverty to Chicago. You can find a link to detailed breakdowns of Prosperity Now’s data, including state-by-state and county-by-county maps at their website.