The Heartland Alliance’s Social IMPACT Research Center (Email: research@heartlandalliance.org, Web: https://www.heartlandalliance.org/get-informed/research-policy-landing) has released the newest Illinois poverty data. It shows that over half of Illinois counties are facing significant barriers to well-being, These new data show that Illinois residents are faring worse on poverty, unemployment, teen birth, and high school graduation rates and our new analysis found that 52 out of 102 Illinois counties are on either the Poverty Watch or the Poverty Warning lists. This is an increase from last year, when 30 out of 102 Illinois counties were on the Poverty Watch or Poverty Warning lists and the rise only confirms what we at Heartland Alliance see every day: that Illinois communities need meaningful investments, economic opportunity, and policies that work to bring equity to all communities.
In addition to the County Well-Being Index, the Center has released county, Chicago metro area, and Chicago community area-level data on a broad range of indicators related to poverty and well-being. These indicators include poverty, rent burden, employment, vacancy, and more.
View the Findings
Webinar – Tuesday, July 24
To help you better understand what this data means and how to use it, we will be hosting a webinar tomorrow, July 24th from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CDT to demonstrate how the public, media, government entities, and non-profit service providers can use the data to understand local needs and help combat poverty. Register today.
During this webinar, they will explore the County Well-Being Index and will be joined by Megan Craig, of the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, who will be sharing how her organization uses these data to support their work and bring healthcare screening to underserved and at-risk populations throughout the state.
