SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced that data from the Business Formation Statistics Report that shows Illinois is among the top ten states nationally in business startups – in addition to reaching the highest recorded number of business startups since 2004. In 2021, 198,827 business startups were created in Illinois, which is an increase from 170,400 from the previous year.
“With yet another record-breaking year under our belt, Illinois kicks off 2022 with a message for the world: we’re back and open for business” said Governor JB Pritzker.
In 2021, Illinois had the 6th highest number of business startups in 2021 (behind FL, CA, NY, TX, & GA).
Illinois ranks eighth in the nation in business startup growth, from pre-pandemic levels in 2019 to 2021 (behind MS, GA, SC, LA, AL, WY, DE); it is the largest state to rank in the top ten for growth in the nation.
The rate of growth in business startups from pre-pandemic levels in 2019 to 2021 is the 8th-highest in the country, highest in the Midwest, and 2nd-highest among the 20 largest states (behind Georgia).
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