Poverty Rates in Illinois
Poor Areas of the Inner Cities Isolate the Hungry and the Homeless
Illinois is tied with Florida with a poverty rate of 11.9%, the 22nd highest poverty rate in the United States.
This is slightly better than the poverty rate of Michigan, and slightly worse than the poverty rate of Ohio.
Where the Worst Poverty in Illinois Occurs
Most of the poverty in Illinois is found in the heavily populated urban areas. However, there are three counties in southern Illinois (see map below article) where the poverty reaches critical levels (50% above the state average). These counties are the following:
- Alexander (23.8%)
- Jackson (20.2%)
- Pulaski (20.7%)
Though these three counties are slightly more rural than the rest of Illinois, two of the three still have metropolitan or micropolitan areas within them.
Cities in Illinois tend to have either very low poverty rates or very high poverty rates, while the counties all stay close to the state average.
This shows us that the rich and the poor in Illinois are not geographically isolated from one another, and this is true in most highly urbanized states.
The major cities (25,000 people or more) with a critical poverty rate (50% or more above the state average) are the following:
- Alton (18.7%)
- Champaigne (22.1%)
- Chicago (19.6%)
- Danville (18.1%)
- DeKalb (21.3%)
- East St. Louis (35.1%)
- Harvey (21.7%)
- Kankakee (21.4%)
- Normal (19.3%)
- Peoria (18.8%)
- Urbana (27.3%)
Why the Worst Poverty in Illinois Exists
Since the poverty is located in such urban areas and the rich and the poor live so close to one another, it becomes obvious that the market is a key reason for the poverty in the area.
Unlike in rural areas of America, people living in urban areas are completely reliant on the market for all of their most basic needs. These needs include utilities, food, shelter, and health care, among other things.
Many people do not realize that most people living in poverty do work. It is just that the jobs they work are many times offering bad hours for low wages.
With no chance to save up assets, the poor in these areas are also much more vulnerable to falling into poverty if anything at all goes wrong. Some of the things that can push a low-wage working family into poverty are health crises, divorce with children involved, taking care of elderly parents, and an automobile accident.
All of this aside, it is important to keep in mind that the reasons for poverty are as unique as the individuals who live through it. Though finding trends in a specific area is important, no generalization can account for everyone.
What is Being Done about Poverty in Illinois
One of the major watchdogs when it comes to poverty in Illinois is the Heartland Alliance Mid-American Institute on Poverty. Aside from research, the MAIP is a source of information for many Illinoisans on “critical legislation and reports that impact economic well-being.”
The MAIP has also launched a number of different programs since it was established in 1989, such as the Illinois Asset Building Group and the From Poverty to Opportunity Campaign.
Another group of people working to improve the lives of the poor people in urban Illinois are those legislators who worked to raise the minimum wage. A number of legislators from Illinois, including Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, are working to create opportunities for people who could previously see no escape from poverty.
References:
United States Census Bureau
Heartland Alliance Mid-American Institute on Poverty
Barack Obama 2008 Website
