POPULATION (2007): 2.8 million
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE (2008): 4.2 million
PRIMARY ECONOMIC SECTORS: Manufacturing, printing, publishing, finance, insurance and food processing.
NUMBER OF EXPLETIVES IN FEDERAL COMPLAINT AGAINST ILLINOIS GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH: 20
NUMBER OF CONVICTED ILLINOIS PUBLIC OFFICIALS FROM 1998-2004: 502 (7th highest among all states; the highest is Florida).
NUMBER OF ILLINOIS POLITICIANS PICKED FOR BARACK OBAMA’S CABINET: 2 (Ray LaHood for Transportation Secretary; Arne Duncan for Education Secretary)
NUMBER OF CHICAGOANS SELECTED FOR OBAMA’S WHITE HOUSE STAFF: 3 (Rep. Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett)
NUMBER OF THEATERS (2006): 200
NUMBER OF RESTAURANTS (2006): 7,300
Sources: U.S. Census, National Weather Service, Chicago Office of Tourism, city-data.com, New York Times, Chicago Tribune.