A new ranking of the best states to live in puts Illinois at No. 17. It could have scored much better, but the state economy ranked near the bottom of the nation. Quality of life ranked near the top.
You can expect to enjoy a great quality of life in Illinois, but also a lousy economy.
Those are the findings in WalletHub’s state rankings for best places to live, which was released Aug. 11. Illinois’ economy ranked near the bottom at 47th. Its quality of life ranked near the top at No. 3.
Also in the plus column were a fairly low crime rate as compared with many other states.
But the advantages were weighed down by Illinois’ unaffordability and lack of economic vigor. Illinois’ economy was only better than Indiana, Kentucky and Louisiana.
With the right policies, Illinois’ shortcomings could be fixed. The state economy is bogged down by excessive taxation and a hostile business climate, high unemployment and inflated housing costs driven by high property taxes.
Illinois drawbacks are largely self-inflicted. With the right policies, Illinois could improve its other rankings to match its high quality of life and bring more Illinoisans home.