The State:

• Profile: Click here for political history and analysis.
• Size: 57,914 square miles
• Population in 2000: 12,419,293; 87.8% urban; 12.2% rural
• Population in 1990: 11,430,602
• Population Change: Up 8.6% 1990-2000; Down 0.0% 1980-1990
• Population Rank: 5th of 50; 4.4% of total U.S. population
• Most Populous Cities: Chicago (2,869,121); Aurora (162,184); Rockford (151,725); Naperville (137,894); Joliet (123,570)
• Registered Voters: No party registration
• Presidential Votes: Click here for analysis and past returns.
• Congressional Redistricting: Click here for additional details. An expanded map of the current lines is also available.
• State Senate: 31 D 27 R 1 I
• State House: 65 D 53 R
• State Legislative Term Limits: No

The People:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Race/Ethnic Origin: 8,424,140 (67.8%) white; 1,856,152 (14.9%) black; 419,916 (3.4%) Asian; 18,232 (0.1%) American Indian; 3,116 (0.0%) Pacific islander/Hawaiian; 153,996 (1.2%) two-plus races; 13,479 (0.1%) other; 1,530,262 (12.3%) Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 15.1% German, 9.3% Irish, 5.8% Polish, 5.1% English, 4.6% Italian
• State Natives: 67.1% of residents were born in-state.
• Non-Citizens: 7.5% of residents are foreign-born and not U.S. citizens
• Language Spoken, by Household: 80.3% English; 9.6% Spanish; 7.1% Other Eur.
• Education: 81.4% high school graduates; 26.1% college graduates
• Military Veterans: 1,003,572 (10.9%); WWII: (22.7%); Korea: (14.4%); Vietnam: (30.1%); First Gulf War: (9.0%)

The Economy:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Industry: 1.1% agriculture; 5.7% construction; 7.9% finance; 3.0% information; 22.0% manufacturing; 29.5% professional; 4.0% public administration; 14.9% trade; 11.9% other
• Work Force: 24.0% blue collar; 61.8% white collar; 14.3% gray collar
• Work Sector: 81.8% private; 12.7% government; 5.3% self-employed; 0.3% unpaid family workers
• Unemployment: 0.3% unemployed
• Median Household Income: $46,590
  • 10.7% are below the poverty line
  • 13.8% less than $15,000
  • 23.2% $15-35,000
  • 16.2% $35-50,000
  • 32.3% $50-100,000
  • 9.0% $100-150,000
  • 5.4% more than $150,000
• Median Home Value: $127,800
  • 11.2% less than $50,000
  • 26.1% $50-100,000
  • 39.7% $100-200,000
  • 13.6% $200-300,000
  • 6.6% $300-500,000
  • 2.8% more than $500,000