- Published: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 10:34 AM
Illinois’ history is littered with famous accomplishments, including the first skyscraper, the first cell phone and dozens of other world-changing inventions. It is the home state of three American presidents and the birthplace of a fourth. It has a population in the millions and an economy that can compete on a global scale. However, all of these achievements are built on the state’s natural resources.
Wind, water, minerals, soil and plant life have all shaped the lives of Illinois’ residents, as has Illinois’ position at the crossroads of North America.
A new academic study of state economies suggests there’s a hidden deduction lurking in Illinois union workers’ paychecks. Turns out anti-union states like Texas and Indiana overly rely on the federal taxes paid by union workers in other states to prop up their economies.
Illinois’ critics like to compare the state to its neighbors like Indiana and Wisconsin. But is that really fair? We took a look at the size of Illinois’ economy and compared it to our neighbors and the other 49 states. Here’s what we found:
The cost of insurance to cover worker injuries has gone down nearly 20 percent over the past three years, saving Illinois employers nearly $460 million.
