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US State economic profile
Illinois - Economic Profile
Statistics, economic information and rankings for the Prairie State
In 2026, the state of Illinois has a population of 12,763,760, having grown an annualized 0.1% over the five years to 2026, which ranks it 46th out of all 50 US states by growth rate. Illinois' gross state product (GSP) in 2026 reached $916.0b, with growth of 1.3% over the 5 years to 2026. Businesses in Illinois employed a total of 7,466,915 people in 2026, with average annual employment growth over the past five years of 1.3%. The top three sectors by total employment are Real Estate & Rental & Leasing, Manufacturing, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, while the unemployment rate across the state in 2026 was 5.1%.
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State economic profile
Illinois Economic Overview
$916.0b
Gross state product
12,763,760
Population
1,521,395
Businesses
What is Illinois' Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
In 2026, Illinois' GDP reached $916.0b, representing an increase of 1.3% from 2025. Illinois' GDP has grown at an annualized rate of 1.1% over the five years to 2026. Moreover, Illinois' trailing five-year GDP growth ranks it 45th out of all 50 US states.
State GDP, or Gross State Product, is a measurement of a state's output, or the sum of value added from all industries in the state. It is a common indicator used to track the health of a state's economy.
You can track trends in Illinois' GDP, and compare them to the national average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Illinois Industry Trends
Learn about current trends affecting the most significant industries for Illinois' state economy, down to the county level. IBISWorld offers state industry research reports on over 30,000 industries across all 50 states in the US, including 641 industries in Illinois.
What are Illinois' Largest Industries by Revenue?
The largest industries by revenue in Illinois are Drug, Cosmetic & Toiletry Wholesaling, Property, Casualty and Direct Insurance and Gasoline & Petroleum Bulk Stations, which generated $112.1b, $88.9b and $85.6b in 2026.
| Industry | 2026 revenue | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Drug, Cosmetic & Toiletry Wholesaling | $112.1b |
| 2. | Property, Casualty and Direct Insurance | $88.9b |
| 3. | Gasoline & Petroleum Bulk Stations | $85.6b |
| 4. | Commercial Banking | $81.1b |
| 5. | Automobile Wholesaling | $76.7b |
| 6. | Health & Medical Insurance | $60.1b |
| 7. | Hospitals | $58.2b |
| 8. | New Car Dealers | $45.1b |
| 9. | Petroleum Refining | $42.8b |
| 10. | Public Schools | $33.9b |
State economic profile
Top Companies in Illinois
Learn about current trends affecting the top companies in Illinois. IBISWorld offers benchmarking data and tools on over 5,000 companies in the US.
Top 10 Companies Headquartered in Illinois by Employment
The largest companies by employment in Illinois are State Of Illinois, Walmart Inc. and City Of Chicago, which employed 144,900, 57,365 and 44,859 people in 2026.
| Company | 2026 employment | Share of employment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | State Of Illinois | 144,900 | 1.9% |
| 2. | Walmart Inc. | 57,365 | 0.8% |
| 3. | City Of Chicago | 44,859 | 0.6% |
| 4. | Amazon.Com, Inc. | 38,000 | 0.5% |
| 5. | Cook County | 22,000 | 0.3% |
| 6. | The Home Depot, Inc. | 16,664 | 0.2% |
| 7. | Mondelez International, Inc. | 13,000 | 0.2% |
| 8. | University of Illinois Chicago | 12,320 | 0.2% |
| 9. | Abbott Laboratories | 12,284 | 0.2% |
| 10. | Northern Trust Corporation | 9,912 | 0.1% |
State economic profile
Illinois Sector Statistics
In Illinois, certain sectors drive a higher share of state GDP and employ more workers than others. However, simply looking at raw numbers doesn't always tell the whole story. Factoring in the current year growth percentage, in addition to the annualized growth percentage over the past five years, will give you a deeper understanding of the economic situation.
What is Illinois' GDP by Sector?
The Real Estate & Rental & Leasing, Manufacturing and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services sectors contributed the most to Illinois' GDP in 2026, representing a combined 38.1% of state GDP.
GDP trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are contributing the most value-add to the state economy, in addition to how the state economy is evolving over time.
| Sector | GDP | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 122,907,937,338 | 1.6% | 1.7% |
| Manufacturing | 106,912,660,244 | -0.0% | -0.4% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 97,443,119,410 | 3.5% | 3.6% |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 75,223,051,075 | 3.4% | 3.8% |
| Finance & Insurance | 65,392,815,905 | -1.5% | -1.1% |
| Wholesale Trade | 62,052,867,367 | -0.6% | -0.6% |
| Information | 58,238,020,354 | 9.1% | 9.2% |
| Retail Trade | 54,053,335,332 | 4.0% | 3.6% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 39,011,705,301 | 2.2% | 2.1% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 36,370,956,578 | 2.4% | 2.8% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 29,254,361,253 | 5.0% | 5.5% |
| Construction | 23,647,975,848 | -3.2% | -4.1% |
| Utilities | 18,607,220,014 | 4.6% | 5.7% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 18,196,801,407 | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 16,352,035,261 | -2.2% | -1.3% |
| Educational Services | 13,569,271,096 | 2.3% | 3.2% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 11,373,664,903 | 6.6% | 7.4% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 9,283,806,749 | 3.4% | 0.4% |
| Mining | 1,755,060,331 | 5.5% | 6.3% |
What is Illinois' Employment by Sector?
The Healthcare & Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services sectors contributed the most to employment in Illinois in 2026, representing a combined 33.9% of state employment.
Employment trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are growing or contracting most rapidly relative to the state economy as a whole.
| Sector | Employment | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 1,010,070 | 1.8% | 2.7% |
| Retail Trade | 790,508 | 1.3% | 1.9% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 729,401 | 2.1% | 2.7% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 646,817 | 1.6% | 1.7% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 625,089 | 4.3% | 4.7% |
| Manufacturing | 570,348 | 0.5% | 1.4% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 551,069 | 0.7% | 4.5% |
| Finance & Insurance | 515,379 | 1.2% | 2.1% |
| Educational Services | 491,726 | -0.3% | 0.3% |
| Wholesale Trade | 333,779 | 0.8% | 1.3% |
| Construction | 327,495 | 1.6% | 2.0% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 291,472 | 0.5% | 2.1% |
| Information | 209,400 | 3.6% | 4.7% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 198,435 | 1.1% | 1.4% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 122,067 | 1.4% | 5.0% |
| Utilities | 41,107 | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| Mining | 7,436 | -0.3% | 1.1% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 5,317 | 1.7% | 1.0% |
State economic profile
Illinois Employment Trends
7.5m
Employment
5.1%
Unemployment
What Employment Trends are Impacting Illinois?
The state of Illinois employs 7,466,915 people in 2026, which ranks it 6th out of all 50 US states. Employment in Illinois has grown at an annualized rate of 2.4% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the national average of 1.7%. Major sectors by employment in Illinois include Healthcare & Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, which employed 1,010,070, 790,508 and 729,401 people in 2026, respectively. Illinois' unemployment rate is 5.1% in 2026, which ranks it 41st out of all 50 US states. Illinois' unemployment rate has trended downwards at a rate of -2.3% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the US economy as a whole.
Employment trends indicate the degree of tightness or slack in labor markets, in addition to the overall strength of an economy. Faster employment growth typically indicates a strong and growing economy, while lower unemployment tends to imply tightness in labor markets.
You can track unemployment trends in Illinois, and compare them to the US economy, using the chart below.
$118.9k
Per capita disposable income
What is Illinois' Per Capita Disposable Income?
Per capita disposable income, also known as disposable personal income (DPI), is the amount of money that the average person in an economy has available for spending and saving after accounting for income taxes. Illinois' DPI in 2026 was $118.9k, compared to the US average of $156.5k, which places it 31st out of all 50 US states.
Disposable income is regarded as a key economic indicator as trends in disposable income are indicative of the level of aggregate demand, the state of labor markets and the financial strength of households.
You can track trends in Illinois' per capita disposable income, and compare it to the US average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Illinois Construction & Building Trends
$10,220.2tn
Nonresidential construction
$7.1tn
Residential construction
21,089
Building permits
What can construction trends tell you about a state’s economy?
In Illinois, non-residential construction was $10,220.2tn in 2026, which ranks it 12th out of all 50 US states. Residential construction was $7.1tn in 2026, which places Illinois 50th out of all 50 US states. The number of building permits issued in Illinois in 2026 was 21,089, representing a 1.2% annualized growth rate between 2021 and 2026.
Trends in the construction sector are important because it creates jobs, income and tax revenue for a state. In addition, construction sector activity impacts other sectors in its supply chain, including manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing, transportation, and real estate, rental and leasing services. Therefore, construction trends are important indicators of the health of an economy.
You can track trends in the number of building permits issued in Illinois, and compare it to trends in the number issued in the United States as a whole, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Illinois Population Statistics
Which Counties in Illinois have the Largest Populations?
The counties with the highest populations in Illinois are Cook County, Dupage County and Will County, which had populations of 4,964,821, 913,954 and 704,887 people in 2026.
| Region | 2026 population | Annual growth 2021-26 | Share of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | 5.0m | -0.8% | 38.9% |
| Dupage | 914.0k | -0.3% | 7.2% |
| Will | 704.9k | 0.2% | 5.5% |
| Lake | 704.3k | -0.2% | 5.5% |
| Kane | 514.1k | -0.1% | 4.0% |
| Mchenry | 315.1k | 0.2% | 2.5% |
| Winnebago | 277.8k | -0.4% | 2.2% |
| Madison | 260.1k | -0.3% | 2.0% |
| St. Clair | 246.0k | -0.7% | 1.9% |
| Champaign | 204.7k | -0.2% | 1.6% |
| Sangamon | 191.1k | -0.4% | 1.5% |
| Peoria | 174.6k | -0.5% | 1.4% |
| Mclean | 169.5k | -0.2% | 1.3% |
| Kendall | 147.5k | 1.7% | 1.2% |
| Rock Island | 139.0k | -0.5% | 1.1% |
| Tazewell | 128.3k | -0.3% | 1.0% |
| Lasalle | 107.5k | -0.2% | 0.8% |
| Kankakee | 104.9k | -0.3% | 0.8% |
| Dekalb | 100.1k | -0.1% | 0.8% |
| Macon | 97.9k | -0.9% | 0.8% |
| Vermilion | 69.6k | -0.9% | 0.6% |
| Williamson | 66.6k | -0.1% | 0.5% |
| Adams | 63.6k | -0.4% | 0.5% |
| Grundy | 54.6k | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Whiteside | 53.7k | -0.5% | 0.4% |
State economic profile
Illinois Demographics
In Illinois, 40.7% of the population has a Bachelors or higher. The largest ethnic group in Illinois is White, accounting for 56.9% of the state's population.
Education level in Illinois
| Education level | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Bachelors or higher | 40.7 |
| Other | 59.3 |
Race in Illinois
| Race | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| White | 56.9 |
| Hispanic | 20.0 |
| Black | 13.8 |
| Asian | 7.1 |
| Other | 2.2 |
Illinois State industry reports
IBISWorld State Industry Reports help you quickly understand how an industry performs at the state level compared with the national level, with accurate and unbiased industry information with a local focus. Use this collection to:
- Discover key local industry trends
- Identify threats and opportunities at the subnational level
- Inform your business strategies and planning
See our list of 641 Illinois industry reports.
Other states to explore
Compare Illinois’s economy with other states in the United States.
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