- Nickname: Prairie State
- Motto: State sovereignty—national union
- Flower: Native violet
- Bird: Cardinal
- Area: 57,914 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 25th)
- Elevation: Ranges from 279 feet to 1,235 feet
above sea level
- Climate: Temperate, with hot summers and cold,
snowy winters
- Admitted to Union: December 3, 1818
- Capital: Springfield
- Head Official: Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (D)
(until 2007)
- Population
- 1980: 11,427,000
- 1990: 11,543,000
- 2000: 12,419,647
- 2004 estimate: 12,713,634
- Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.6%
- U.S. rank in 2004: 5th
- Percent of residents born in state: 67.1% (2000)
- Density: 223 people per square mile (2000)
- 2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 506,086
- Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)
- White: 9,125,471
- Black or African American: 1,876,875
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 31,006
- Asian: 423,603
- Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 4,610
- Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race):
1,530,262
- Other: 722,712
- Age Characteristics (2000)
- Population under 5 years old: 876,549
- Population 5 to 19 years old: 2,728,957
- Percent of population 65 years and over: 12.1%
- Median age: 34.7 years (2000)
- Vital Statistics
- Total number of births (2003): 181,753
- Total number of deaths (2003): 105,575 (infant
deaths, 1,361)
- AIDS cases reported through 2003: 14,321
- Economy
- Major industries: Manufacturing; mining;
agriculture; oil; trade; finance, insurance, and real
estate; services
- Unemployment rate: 5.6% (March 2005)
- Per capita income: $33,205 (2003; U.S. rank:
15th)
- Median household income: $45,607 (3-year average,
2001-2003)
- Percentage of persons below poverty level: 11.8%
(3-year average, 2001-2003)
- Income tax rate: 3.0%
- Sales tax rate: 6.25%
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