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Working Poor

The majority of new jobs through 2012 are projected to pay far below the current state median income of $48,008.

Working Poor

One third of all jobs in Northeastern Illinois, which includes the Chicago region as well as Grundy, Kendall, and Kankakee Counties, are low-wage service jobs.

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Working Poor

Nationally, among women ages 20 to 64 who did not work for 4 or more consecutive months, 39% of were taking care of children or others. This is the primary reason among these women for not working.

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Working Poor

If women were paid the same as comparable men, even if only for the hours women currently work, a recent study shows that poverty rates would fall by half for both single mothers and married women.

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Working Poor

Illinois women make $0.75 for every dollar Illinois men make.

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Working Poor

Average weekly wages fell in 7 of the 11 job sectors in Illinois from 2001 to 2007. This means that on a weekly basis, many Illinoisans have less purchasing power to pay for their needs.

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Working Poor

Women make less than men in every single industry in Illinois. The same holds true for every single class of workers – private, nonprofit, government, and self-employed – and every occupation group.

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Working Poor

A worker earning $8.00 an hour at a full-time job makes $16,600 annually - the poverty level for a family of three.

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Working Poor

Around 3 million Illinois workers in the private-sector do not get paid sick days, including three fourths of low-wage earners.

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Working Poor

Looking ahead through 2012, 71.5% of jobs with earnings over $56,770 – family-sustaining wages – will require at least an associate's degree.

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Working Poor

Low-wage Illinois workers are 38.9% less likely to receive Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits than high-wage workers.

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Working Poor

In Illinois, three quarters of single women with children work with 58.7% working full time and 41.3% working part time or part year.

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Who is Poor?

Female-headed households are at a far greater risk of poverty.

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Who is Poor?

Children face a greater risk of poverty.

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Who is Poor?

Rural child poverty in Illinois rose 25.9% from 1999 to 2005 while the rural child population decreased 15.5%.

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Who is Poor?

Illinois women are significantly more likely to be poor than men during their working and child-rearing years as well as during retirement or old age, and minority women are particularly impacted.

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