In Illinois, Wallets Get Slimmer, Waistlines Get Larger

By aaroncynic in News on Sep 26, 2012 6:00PM

Poverty, income inequality and obesity are all on the rise in Illinois, according to new data recently released. According to the Chicago Tribune, census data released last week shows 1.9 million people lived below the poverty level in 2011, an increase of at least 150,000 from 2010, with another 15,000 added last year. Meanwhile, Illinois ranks ninth in income inequality, with 13 percent of households living below the poverty line and 4.47 percent of households earning more than $200,000 per year. Additionally, average personal income has decreased by 3.2 percent for the lower 60 percent of wage earners in the state, the Huffington Post reports.

While money seems to be flying out of the pockets of Illinois residents, we’re also packing on the pounds. ABC7 reports a study by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says more than half of Illinoisans could be obese by 2030. The latest data from the CDC shows 27.1 percent of adults in Illinois qualified as obese in 2011.

Nationwide, by 2030, nearly every state could see an increase in obesity rates, with 39 above 50 percent and all 50 above 44. Income inequality is also at its highest. A 2009 study showed income inequality was at an all time high, surpassing levels from the Great Depression, and the Forbes 400 richest Americans’ collective net worth amounts to about $1.7 trillion, more than 64 percent of American households combined.