RESEARCH Business Illinois

ILLINOIS DATA
New Statistical Abstract covers all things Illinois – and then some

Mark Reutter, Business Editor
(217) 333-0568; mreutter@uiuc.edu

2/1/02

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The 2001 Illinois Statistical Abstract, featuring the most complete economic and demographic data on the state, has been completed by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Illinois.

With 827 pages of charts, tables and graphs, the book has data in 28 categories – ranging from crime rates and agricultural receipts to health statistics and retail sales – arranged by county and sometimes by city and metropolitan area.

Wherever possible, statistics going back to 1989 are published, as are comparative figures of the United States. Some data from the 2000 census are also included.

A sampler of facts and figures from the book:

The rural population in Illinois dropped by 16 percent between 1990 and 2000, while the metropolitan population grew by 10 percent. Nearly two of every three residents (61.4 percent) now reside in the four Chicago-area counties of Cook, Du Page, Lake and Will.

The highest infant mortality rate in 1999 was in Vermilion county (13.7 deaths per 1,000 live births), followed by Peoria (11.2 deaths) and Cook (10.1 deaths).

Based on a 40-hour week, the weekly earnings of Illinois lawyers were $1,684, elementary school teachers $801, brick and stone masons $706 and food-service workers $286.

The number of divorces in the state dropped 5.2 percent between 1994 and 1999.

State per capita personal income increased from $25,643 in 1995 to $31,138 in 1999. Lake County north of Chicago boasted the highest per capita income ($45,341), while Johnson County in the far south had the lowest income ($14,741) in 1999.

Peoria County had the highest reported crime rate among counties (7,257 crimes per 100,000 people), followed by Winnebago, Cook and Vermilion.

Riverboat casino revenues jumped 49.8 percent between 1998 and 2000, while bingo revenues slumped 13.7 percent between 1997 and 1999.

McLean County harvested the most corn in 2002 (51.1 million bushels), followed by Iroquois (45.5 million) and La Salle (42.8 million). McLean was also the biggest soybean producer (14.6 million bushels), followed by Livingston (12.9 million), Iroquois (12.6 million) and Champaign (12.5 million).

The book is part of the service mission of the College of Commerce and Business Administration to provide "reliable historical and current socio-economic data to businesses, governments, educators, students and the general public," abstract editor Janet Fitch wrote.

A paperbound copy of the Abstract is available for $60 from the Office of Research, College of Commerce and Business Administration, 430 Wohlers Hall, 1206 S. Sixth St., Champaign, IL 61820; (217) 333-2330. The material also is available on disk and CD-ROM.