Illinois Has 1 of the Biggest Gaps Between Rich & Poor in America

Of all of the new data I've seen so far in 2025, this might be the saddest of them all. Illinois now has one of the largest gaps between the rich and the poor in America.

I remember my parents saying that the rich get richer and the poorer get poorer and the new data just shared shows they're not necessarily wrong. 24/7 Wall St crunched numbers for each state in America to see which ones have the biggest gap between the wealthy and the not wealthy. The result is not good for Illinois.

• Gini index score: 48.1 out of 100
• Share of households earning less than $25,000 per year: 14.9% (25th largest of 50 states)
• Share of households earning at least $200,000 per year: 12.6% (15th largest of 50 states)
• Median household income: $80,306 (18th highest of 50 states)
• Poverty rate: 11.6% (24th lowest of 50 states)
• Bachelor’s degree attainment rate: 38.3% (14th highest of 50 states)

What that means is that Illinois now ranks 8th in America for having the biggest chasm between those who earn more than $200,000 per year and those households trying to survive on less than $25,000 annually. 14.9% of Illinois families attempting that is terrifying.

I was very blessed to grow up in a family where both my mother and father had jobs. We were able to go on family vacations and not have to live paycheck to paycheck. That is sadly the exception and not the rule in 2025.

I don't care about politics and don't care whose fault it is that Illinois now exists with this reality. We can only hope and pray that something happens that brings more opportunity to those living below the poverty line for the sake of them and their children.