Prairie State Wire

Northwestern, University of Chicago, Loyola top endowment rankings of Illinois schools

By LGIS News Service | Feb 21, 2021

Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago have the largest endowments of all the universities and colleges in Illinois, according to a new ranking from the website College Raptor.

Adams, Fulton, Calhoun counties have top COVID-19 vaccination rates in Illinois

By LGIS News Service | Feb 13, 2021

Nearly 6 percent of Adams County residents have been fully vaccinated for the coronavirus as of Feb. 10, giving the county the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate among the 102 Illinois counties, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

Chicago follows national trend with 55% rise in homicides in 2020

By LGIS News Service | Feb 7, 2021

The number of homicides in Chicago in 2020 was 278 above the previous year’s total of 502, representing a 55 percent increase, according to a new study from the nonprofit Council on Criminal Justice.

Wayne, Hamilton, Schuyler counties top home sales activity ranking

By LGIS News Service | Jan 21, 2021

Wayne, Hamilton and Schuyler counties saw the greatest percentage gains in fourth-quarter 2020 home sales in Illinois, compared to sales during the fourth quarter of 2019, according to data from Illinois Realtors.

3 Illinois campuses among 60 U.S. colleges with best return on investment

By LGIS News Service | Jan 14, 2021

The Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago earned spots on a new ranking by the Stacker website of universities with the best return on investment (ROI) for graduates.

Illinois ends up near bottom of 2020 U-Haul migration growth ranking

By LGIS News Service | Jan 10, 2021

Illinois came in 49th on a new ranking measuring migration growth among the states based on one-way U-Haul truck traffic leaving or entering their borders last year.

3 Illinois cities earn spots on list of 50 best U.S. cities to raise children

By LGIS News Service | Jan 3, 2021

Naperville, Arlington Heights and Bolingbrook were among the 50 U.S. cities of at least 75,000 residents ranked the best places to raise children, according to a new study by the SafeWise website.

Cresco Labs, Mom Project, VillageMD top list of top-performing Chicago startups

By LGIS News Service | Dec 24, 2020

Cresco Labs, The Mom Project and VillageMD finished at the top of a new ranking of the fastest-growing startup companies in the Chicago area, according to the data-analysis company Growjo.com.

Monroe, McHenry, Kendall counties tops in Illinois for self-reporting census data, study finds

By LGIS News Service | Dec 18, 2020

The percentage of households in Monroe County that self-responded in the Census Bureau’s 2020 count of the U.S. population hit 82.9 percent, the highest rate among the 102 Illinois counties, the federal agency reported.

Illinois ranked 37th in annual policy report on highway costs, conditions

By LGIS News Service | Dec 10, 2020

Illinois saw its ranking on the Reason Foundation’s 25th Annual Highway Report drop nine spots since the previous report, putting the state at 37th in terms of highway cost-effectiveness conditions.

6 Illinois counties post debt-to-income ratio of nearly 3.5-to-1, Federal Reserve reports

By LGIS News Service | Dec 4, 2020

Greene, Kendall, Marshall, Menard, Monroe and Piatt counties posted the highest average household debt-to-income ratios in Illinois during the first quarter of 2020, the Federal Reserve System reported recently.

New Illinois business filings highest in Pope, Pulaski and Menard counties, Census Bureau finds

By LGIS News Service | Nov 27, 2020

Pope, Pulaski and Menard counties posted the highest percentage increases in Illinois business applications last year when compared with 2018, according to data released this month from the Census Bureau’s Business Formation Statistics (BFS).

Student headcounts at Illinois’ 2-year colleges declined nearly 14% over past year

By LGIS News Service | Nov 22, 2020

The number of students enrolled at Illinois’ 48 community colleges dropped 13.7 percent since the fall of 2019, according to a new enrollment survey published by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB).

From Quincy Reporter

Analysis: In 'pandemic' year, Adams County to see fewest deaths since 2016

By LGIS News Service | 4 years ago

Adams County is on track to see a total of 967 deaths in 2020, down from 984 in 2019 and lower than the five year average of 981, according to an analysis by the Quincy Reporter.

Top marginal tax rate in Illinois could reach 54.29% under Biden plan

By LGIS News Service | Oct 22, 2020

Under Democrat Joe Biden’s federal tax plan, the top marginal tax rate in Illinois could hit 54.29 percent, according to a new analysis by the Tax Foundation.

Northwestern Medicine, Trader Joe’s and Microsoft top Illinois' best-employer list

By LGIS News Service | Oct 14, 2020

A new survey of Illinois employees who work for large employers ranks Northwestern Medicine, Trader Joe’s and Microsoft the best companies to work for in Illinois, the Forbes website reports.

Analysis: Illinois retirees could pay $3 billion in state income taxes under Pritzker graduated tax hike plan

By LGIS News Service | Oct 8, 2020

Illinois’ 1.95 million retirees could pay as much as $3.07 billion in state income taxes if voters approve Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated tax hike amendment on Nov. 3, according to an analysis by Prairie State Wire.

Nearly one-third of Illinois counties have elevated COVID-19 risks

By LGIS News Service | Sep 12, 2020

Thirty of the 102 Illinois counties have warning signs of elevated coronavirus risks, with the remaining counties posting stable COVID-19 metrics, the Illinois Department of Public Health reports.

Illinois beer lovers pay state taxes of 23 cents per gallon for their brewskis

By LGIS News Service | Aug 18, 2020

The state's beer tax is the 28th highest among the 50 states, the Tax Foundation reported.

Hard liquor drinkers in Illinois pay $8.55 per gallon in taxes

By LGIS News Service | Aug 17, 2020

The taxes on stiff drinks in Illinois were the 15th highest among all states, according to the foundation's study.