Capital: Springfield
Population: 12,419,293
Governor: Rod R. Blagojevich (D, to January 2011)
Entered the Union: December 3, 1818
as the 21st state
Motto: State sovereignty, national union
Nicknames: Prairie State, Land of Lincoln
Flower: Violet
Bird: Cardinal
Song: Illinois
Sports Teams: Chicago Bulls (Men's Basketball); Chicago Bears (Football); Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs (Baseball); Chicago Blackhawks (Hockey); Chicago Fire (Soccer)
Origin of Name: From an Indian word and French suffix, meaning "tribe of superior men"
Major Industries: Coal Mining, Agriculture, Oil
Historical Sites: Lincoln Home and Tomb, Old State capital, Bishop Hill, Cahokia Mounds, Illinois and Michigan National Heritage Corridor, Nauvoo, Ulysses S. Grant Home
Points of Interest: Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Brookfield Zoo, Sears Tower
Bordering States: Illinois borders Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana. Illinois also borders Lake Michigan.
Source: State of Illinois
Population, 2006 estimate: 12,831,970
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 3.3%
Population, 2000: 12,419,293
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 6.9%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 25.1%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 12.0%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 50.8%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 79.3%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 15.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 0.3%
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 4.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): 0.1%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 1.1%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 14.7%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 65.3%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 56.8%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 12.3%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 19.2%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 81.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 26.1%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 1,999,717
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 28.0
Housing units, 2006: 5,199,589
Homeownership rate, 2000: 67.3%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 34.0%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $130,800
Households, 2000: 4,591,779
Persons per household, 2000: 2.63
Median household income, 2004: $47,711
Per capita money income, 1999: $23,104
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 11.9%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 555,599
Private industries: 500,730
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 2,166
Crop and animal production (Farms): 1,819
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 348
Mining: 1,522
Oil and gas extraction: 192
Mining, except oil and gas: 994
Support activities for mining: 336
Utilities: 12,633
Construction: 26,685
Manufacturing: 73,562
Durable goods: 41,651
Wood product manufacturing: 577
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 1,710
Primary metal manufacturing: 3,881
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 9,784
Machinery manufacturing: 11,020
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 3,401
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 3,289
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 2,521
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 634
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 1,119
Miscellaneous manufacturing 3,715
Nondurable goods: 31,911
Food product manufacturing: 9,119
Textile and textile product mills: 280
Apparel manufacturing: 399
Paper manufacturing: 1,877
Printing and related support activities: 3,270
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 2,715
Chemical manufacturing: 9,476
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 4,775
Wholesale trade: 39,960
Retail trade: 32,610
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 18,922
Air transportation: 3,352
Rail transportation: 2,103
Water transportation: 235
Truck transportation: 6,050
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 934
Pipeline transportation: 177
Other transportation and support activities: 4,040
Warehousing and storage: 2,030
Information: 20,680
Publishing including software: 5,306
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 691
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 12,591
Information and data processing services: 2,092
Finance and insurance: 51,321
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 21,604
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 9,607
Insurance carriers and related activities: 19,216
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 894
Real estate and rental and leasing: 70,347
Real estate: 65,551
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 4,796
Professional and technical services: 46,767
Legal services: 11,810
Computer systems design and related services: 6,143
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 28,813
Management of companies and enterprises: 12,954
Administrative and waste services: 17,318
Administrative and support services: 15,854
Waste management and remediation services: 1,464
Educational services: 5,735
Health care and social assistance: 36,425
Ambulatory health care services: 16,735
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 16,436
Social assistance: 3,254
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 5,025
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 2,059
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 2,966
Accommodation and food services: 12,796
Accommodation: 3,219
Food services and drinking places: 9,577
Other services, except government: 13,304
Government: 54,868
Federal civilian: 8,598
Federal military: 3,188
State and local: 43,083
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Longitude: 87° 30' W to 91° 30' W
Latitude: 36° 58' N to 42° 30' N
Length / Width: Illinois is 390 miles long and 210 miles wide.
Geographic Center: Near the geographic center of Illinois is a small village in Logan County called Chestnut. Chestnut is located between Lincoln and Decatur about 28 miles northeast of Springfield.
Borders: Illinois is bordered by Wisconsin on the north and Kentucky in the south. On the east, Illinois is bordered by Lake Michigan and Indiana. Illinois borders Iowa and Missouri on the west.
Total Area: Illinois covers 57,918 square miles, making it the 25th largest of the 50 states.
Land Area: 55,593 square miles of Illinois are land areas.
Water Area: 2,325 square miles of Illinois are covered by water.
Highest Point: The highest point in Illinois is Charles Mound at 1,235 feet above sea level.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in Illinois is on the Mississippi River; 279 feet above sea level.
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of Illinois is 600 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers: Illinois River, Mississippi River, Ohio River, Wabash River
Major Lake:s Lake Michigan, Rend Lake
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Interactive
Campaign 2008A glimpse at presidential hopefuls and a fund-raising overview as the campaign gears up.
Interactive
America On GuardThe Homeland Security Department, the terror alert system, preparedness quiz and more.
More In-depth
