from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability
The Commission is often asked by lawmakers how the State of Illinois compares nationally in revenue and spending categories. In response, the Commission has created the following report, Illinois’ National Rankings. This 2018 edition is the latest in a series of updates to the initial rankings report first completed by the Commission in 2001. This report addresses specific State revenue related topics, including current overall tax levels in Illinois, how these levels have changed in recent years, and how these levels compare to other Midwestern states. The report provides a quick guide as to how Illinois stacks up against the other 49 states in the various areas of state government financing. The information comes from a variety of sources including the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Due to its large population size, Illinois ranks high in most areas on a total dollar basis. As shown below in Chart 1, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Illinois ranks 6th in the nation in total population with 12.8 million people. This 2017 ranking is the first time in many years that Illinois was not ranked 5th. Pennsylvania has now overtaken Illinois for this 5th spot. California continues to lead the country in population by a wide margin with nearly 40 million people. Rounding out the top five are Texas, Florida, and New York.
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