illinoispolicy | Illinois is the only state in the Midwest to have added more people
to food-stamp rolls than to employment rolls during the recovery from
the Great Recession. Job losses from the Great Recession occurred from
January 2008 to January 2010, and since then, states have had
five-and-a-half years of recovery.
During the recovery from the Great Recession, the Land of Lincoln,
alone in the Midwest, had more people enter the food-stamps program than
start jobs. Food-stamps growth in Illinois has outpaced jobs creation
by a 5-4 margin.
In every other Midwestern state, jobs growth has dramatically outpaced
food-stamps growth during the recovery. In fact, in every other state in
the region, jobs growth dwarfs food-stamps growth. But during the
recovery, Illinois put more people on food stamps than every other
Midwestern state combined.
Manufacturing has borne the brunt of Illinois’ policy failures. From the state’s broken workers’ compensation system, to the highest property taxes in the region, to the lack of a Right-to-Work law while surrounding states enact Right to Work, Illinois has the worst policy environment in the Midwest for manufacturers.
The result for Illinois factory workers? The Land of Lincoln has put
25 people on food stamps for every manufacturing job created during the
recession recovery.
