Illinois

Illinois is located in the midwestern region of the United States. According to the 2010 census, the state population is approximately 13 million, and is approximately [Page 373]two-thirds Caucasian, 15 percent Hispanic, and 15 percent African American. This is in sharp contrast to the demographic makeup of Illinois' largest city, Chicago, which has a population of about 2.7 million people and has roughly equal numbers of European Americans, African Americans, and Latinos. Similarly, while the percent of persons below the poverty level in the entire state is 12.6 percent, the percent living below the poverty level in Chicago is just over one-fifth of the population. Between Chicago, its wealthier suburbs, and the rest of rural Illinois, there are large differences in educational needs across the ...