Population continues to decline
Illinoisans continue to flee the Land of Lincoln. The latest Census Bureau data shows Illinois’ population declined by nearly 33,000 residents from July 2022 through July 2023. It marks the 10th consecutive year of population decline for Illinois. In contrast, Texas added nearly a half million people during that time.
Minimum wage increasing
The minimum wage in Illinois is increasing on Jan. 1. Workers will see an increase of $1 per hour from $13 to $14. The minimum wage for tipped workers will rise to $8.40 per hour and youth workers under the age of 18 working fewer than 650 hours per calendar year will see their hourly wage increase to $12 per hour. This will be the sixth increase in the state’s minimum wage since 2019 culminating in a $15 per hour minimum wage in 2025.
Lottery winnings remain unclaimed
The Illinois Lottery says there are millions of dollars worth of unclaimed prizes in the state. As of this week, there were nine Illinois Lottery prizes in 2023 still unclaimed, totaling $4.3 million. Two of those tickets will expire in the first half of next year, including a Lucky Day Lotto ticket worth $450,000 that was purchased in Skokie last June. Winners have one year from the original draw date to claim their prize.
