Major Sector : Agriculture/Food

Illinois’ people and lands are uniquely suited to produce an abundance of agricultural products including grains, oilseeds, livestock, and dairy. Illinois is a national and world leader in the production and export of feed corn, soybeans, dried distillers grains, and pork. Illinois’ total exports of all agricultural commodities approximate $6 billion USD annually. Because of our production of these agricultural goods, Illinois is also home to some of the major manufacturers of tractors, implements, grain handling and storage equipment, livestock equipment, and all manner of the inputs required by agricultural producers.

In addition to agricultural production, over 2,500 Illinois food companies combine to produce $128 billion USD in processed food sales to lead all states. The food processing industry is the No. 1 manufacturing activity in the state, with a value of $14 billion per anum. In 2010 Illinois companies exported approximately $2.6 billion USD of processed foods to other countries. Linked with the food processing industry is a thriving food processing equipment industry, with a value of $2.7 billion per anum. Illinois is top out of U.S. states for sales of food processing equipment.

The location of some of the largest food trade fairs in the U.S., Illinois holds the annual “Food Marketing Institute” and “National Restaurant Association” shows at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Illinois is at the center of a transportation nexus of water, rail, truck, and air that can efficiently carry its abundance of goods to the rest of the world. Its businesses, producer associations, and universities partner to drive agricultural technology into the future, while its regulatory agencies insure product and transaction quality second to none.

Employment:

The U.S. unemployment rate, currently at 8.5% as of December 2011, continues to trend down. Preliminary data for the month of November shows a 9.6%, not seasonally adjusted, unemployment rate in the Chicago area (Chicago-Joliet-Naperville). Compared to October 2011, this represents no change in the regional unemployment rate.

Sources: Office of Trade and Investment, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics