One in three Illinoisans are considered poor. A report from the Social Impact Research Center in Chicago found that nearly two million residents live in poverty. Another two million are considered "low-income." That's an 8% increase since 2000, the last time the report was published. Back then, poverty declined for the first time in two decades. Jennifer Clary is a research associate with the center. She says 100,000 Illinoisans took full-time jobs last year but still live in poverty.
"That really points to a job quality issue that flies in the face of this promise of work as an insolation from poverty."
In addition to declining wages, the report also says poverty is caused by racial and gender inequalities and high unemployment.
The Top 10 Illinois counties for poverty:
-Jackson 33.7%
-Alexander 31.3%
-Champaign 23.4%
-Pulaski 22.4%
-Coles 21.8%
-Saline 20.8%
-Hardin 20.4%
-McDonough 20.3%
-Knox 20.2%
-Union 19.8%
-Vermilion 19.8%
Read the poverty report
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