Illinois
Capital: Springfield · Midwest · Land of Lincoln
State Statistics
| Population | 12.81M |
| GDP | $1.10T |
| Area | 149,995 km² |
| Capital | Springfield |
| Largest City | Chicago |
| Political Lean | Unknown |
About Illinois
Illinois is the economic and cultural hub of the Midwest, anchored by Chicago — a global city of finance, architecture, and culture — while its vast interior remains one of the most productive agricultural regions on earth.
Major Cities
Chicago
Chicago is the great American city — the third-largest metropolis in the US, the architectural capital of the nation, and a cultural powerhouse whose music (blues, house, gospel), food (deep dish, ...
Aurora
Aurora is the second-largest city in Illinois, a diverse Fox Valley suburb west of Chicago that has transformed from a mid-century manufacturing city into a multicultural community where Latino res...
Rockford
Rockford is a mid-sized industrial city on the Rock River that was one of the great furniture manufacturing centers of America; today it is rebuilding around healthcare, aerospace manufacturing, an...
Key Industries
Finance and Insurance 16.2% GDP
Chicago's status as the nation's second financial center drives Illinois's outsized share of banking, insurance, and derivatives trading through the CME Group and CBOE.
Agriculture and Food Processing 9.8% GDP
Illinois is the nation's top soybean exporter and a leading corn producer, with major food processing operations by ADM, Kraft Heinz, and Quaker Oats.
Manufacturing 12.4% GDP
Illinois manufactures everything from farm equipment and steel to medical devices and pharmaceuticals, with major plants from Caterpillar, Boeing, and Abbott Laboratories.
Healthcare and Life Sciences 11.1% GDP
The Chicago metropolitan area hosts one of the largest healthcare clusters in the nation, anchored by Abbott Laboratories, Baxter International, and major academic medical centers.
Notable Universities
| University | City | Type | Founded | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | Chicago | Private | 1890 | 18K |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private | 1851 | 23K |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Urbana | Public | 1867 | 57K |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private Research University | 1898 | 22K |