5.8% of Illinois residents living in deep poverty

The front page of the Chicago Tribune today reported that Illinois, despite having the fifth-largest economy in the nation, has the highest poverty rate in the Midwest. Illinois leads the region with nearly 724,000 residents in the category of deep poverty: deep poverty means a family of four is living on $9,675 or less per year.

The state's surge in poverty, as documented in the bipartisan Heartland Alliance's 2006 Report on Illinois Poverty, can be traced to a combination of factors: the loss of more than 225,000 manufacturing jobs in the last 15 years, soaring housing costs and cuts in social services due to the state budget crisis of the past several years.