Illinois : State Data and Comparisons : Data-Z

Illinois

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Illinois owes more than it owns.

Illinois has a -$36,900 Taxpayer Burden.™

Illinois is a Sinkhole State without enough assets to cover its debt.

Elected officials have created a Taxpayer Burden™, which is each taxpayer's share of state bills after its available assets have been tapped.

TIA's Taxpayer Burden™ measurement incorporates both assets and liabilities, not just pension debt.

Illinois only has $63.1 billion of assets available to pay bills totaling $229.5 billion.

Because Illinois doesn't have enough money to pay its bills, it has a -$166.3 billion financial hole. To fill it, each Illinois taxpayer would have to send -$36,900 to the state.

Illinois's reported net position is understated by $2.6 billion, largely because the state delays recognizing gains resulting from decreases in retirement liabilities.

The state's financial report was released 344 days after its fiscal year end, which is considered untimely according to the 180 day standard.

Illinois

Prior Years' TIA Reports

City and Municipal Reports

Other Resources

IN THE NEWS

Financial State of the States 2026

Another ‘Balanced’ Illinois Budget? Unpacking the Gimmicks and Pension Shortfall

Financial Transparency Score 2026

Illinois: Tier 2 Pension Costly Benefit Increases Supercharge the State’s Pension Crisis, and Local Governments Would be Hit Hardest

The I-64 Near Miss: When Crumbling Infrastructure Meets Misleading Financials

The Chicago Teachers’ Mystery Audits

What the fraud in Minnesota can teach Illinois