(The Center Square) – Illinoisans are paying above the national average for the most essential household bills.
The bill paying assistance company doxo found that residents of Illinois pay nearly $900 more a year for household expenses than the national average.
The report reveals that while the average U.S. household spends $24,557 annually on the most essential household bills, which is 35% of the U.S. household median income of $70,784 and roughly $2,046 per month, many states, including Illinois, rank above this figure.
“We look at the ten most common household bills, and for each city and state and county across the U.S., we were able to come up with a number for how much consumers, on average, pay for household bills on a monthly and yearly basis,” said Liz Powell, senior director of Insights at doxo.
Illinois is known for its high property taxes, so the cost of mortgage helps place the Land of Lincoln as the 16th most expensive state for household bills. Illinois households spend about 35% of their income on bills.
According to the study, Kendall County is the most expensive county in the state for household expenses, nearly $11,000 over the U.S. average. By comparison, household bills in Marion County in downstate Illinois are 37% lower than the national average.
Chicagoans pay $2,188 a month on the 10 most common household bills. That is 6.9% higher than the national average, and 3.2% higher than the state average of $2,121.
Hawaii, California and New Jersey were the three most expensive states for monthly bills, while West Virginia, Mississippi and Arkansas were the most affordable.
