In recent years, Illinois' population has mostly been in the news for its decline. One article from Illinois Policy calculated that the state was losing about one resident every nine minutes, and U.S.

Discover more original studies and surveys in the GOBankingRates original research center. Photo disclaimer: Photos are for illustrative purposes only. In many cases, the closest major city outside of ...

The Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, IL - Sean Pavone/Getty Images For out-of-state visitors, Illinois's reputation as a tourist attraction is largely defined by Chicago. This isn't much of a ...

For out-of-state visitors, Illinois's reputation as a tourist attraction is largely defined by Chicago. This isn't much of a surprise, of course. The Windy City is, after all, the third-most populous ...