(The Center Square) – Illinois has seen a decrease in the median household income, and Todd Maisch, the Illinois Chamber president wonders if COVID-19 relief payments are a contributing factor.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average Illinois family made about $1,100 less last year than the year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The most obvious question is whether those straight-up COVID payments ran out and did they include those COVID payments as part of household income or not? Now that would be an interesting question to ask,” Maisch told The Center Square. “In terms of median income going down, you never want to see that, clearly, there has been a slowdown in the economy.”
The 2021 median household income in Illinois was just above $72,000, from data provided by the Census Bureau.
“Keep in mind some people have just decided to check out of the workforce for an extended period of time and live off savings or you know, move back in with their parents,” Maisch said. “They enjoy the freedom and the ability to enjoy some time without having to earn a paycheck necessarily.”
