The Illinois poverty rate hovers above pre-recession levels at 14.4 percent, according to Census numbers released Thursday. In all, 1.8 million Illinoisans live in poverty.
Meanwhile, income in Illinois is stagnant even though job growth is up, according to numbers crunched by the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance.
This is likely a consequence of the state’s budget woes, says Kimberly Drew, an economic security specialist at the alliance.
Drew says cuts in social programs because of the budget impasse are likely to worsen the effects of poverty in the state.
Post recession, in 2011, the poverty rate climbed as high as 15 percent in lllinois. The pre-recession rate was 11.9 percent.
