More Than Half of Illinois Counties Face Threats to Social and Economic Well-Being

CHICAGO, Aug. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- New data from the Social IMPACT Research Center at Heartland Alliance show that Illinois residents are experiencing mixed trends on poverty, unemployment, teen birth, and high school graduation rates. The new analysis found that 59 out of 102 Illinois counties are on either the Poverty Watch or the Poverty Warning lists, which are created using Heartland Alliance's County Well-Being Index. This is a decrease from last year, when 79 out of 102 Illinois counties were on the Poverty Watch or Poverty Warning lists. Most of the data reflect pre-COVID-19 pandemic conditions, establishing a baseline as Illinois works to recover from the pandemic and resulting recessing.

"The latest round of County Well-Being Index data represent a mixed bag for Illinois: in 2019, poverty and teen birth rates declined and 2019 ? 2020 high school graduation rates increased, but unemployment increased in 2020 due to the pandemic-related recession," said Heartland Alliance's Senior Director of Research and Analytics, Katie Buitrago. "When 2020 data come out for the non-unemployment rate indicators, we expect that some of these trends may change. For example, poverty is likely to have increased during the pandemic, while the challenges posed by remote learning may negatively affect high school graduation rates. Today's data release can help Illinois set targets for its recovery from the pandemic."

This newly released county and local data about poverty and well-being in Illinois are available in an interactive map at the Social IMPACT Research Center's website. For more data on how the pandemic harmed the health and economic well-being of Black and Latino Illinoisans, read the Social IMPACT Research Center's report The COVID-19 Domino Effect: How the pandemic deepened systemic oppression for Black and Latino Illinoisans.

The County Well-Being Index, created by the Social IMPACT Research Center, highlights counties that are experiencing particularly negative conditions and trends on four key indicators: poverty, unemployment, teen births, and high school graduation. The counties are evaluated using a point system, with a higher number of points indicating a worse score. A county receives a point if its rate is worse than the state average and/or if it has worsened since the previous year.

Counties on the Poverty Watch list have a score of 4 or 5 and need to be monitored by local leadership, while counties on the Poverty Warning list have a score of 6, 7, or 8 and need to initiate corrective action (such as adequately funding education, quality job creation, and human services).

In addition to the County Well-Being Index, the Social IMPACT Research Center released county and Chicago metro area-level data on a broad range of indicators related to poverty and well-being. These indicators on poverty, rent burden, employment, vacancy, and more, are displayed through interactive maps or dashboards.

Counties on the Poverty Warning list include:

-Alexander County
-Edgar County
-Franklin County
-Greene County
-Hancock County
-Jefferson County
-Lawrence County
-Macoupin County
-White County
-Winnebago County

Counties on the Poverty Watch list include:

-Adams County
-Boone County
-Brown County
-Cass County
-Champaign County
-Clark County
-Clay County
-Coles County
-Cook County
-Crawford County
-De Witt County
-Edwards County
-Effingham County
-Fayette County
-Fulton County
-Gallatin County
-Grundy County
-Hamilton County
-Henderson County
-Johnson County
-Kankakee County
-Knox County
-LaSalle County
-Livingston County
-Logan County
-Macon County
-Madison County
-Marion County
-Marshall County
-Mason County
-Massac County
-McDonough County
-Peoria County
-Perry County
-Pike County
-Pulaski County
-Richland County
-Rock Island County
-Saline County
-Sangamon County
-St. Clair County
-Stephenson County
-Union County
-Vermilion County
-Wabash County
-Wayne County
-Whiteside County
-Will County
-Williamson County

Media Contact

Valentina Perez Botero, Heartland Alliance, 3128487384, [email protected]

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SOURCE Heartland Alliance