Report Finds Disparities Persist In Illinois for Latinos

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A new report from the Heartland Alliance’s Social IMPACT Research Center has uncovered that racial disparities persist in Illinois across a wide-spectrum of quality-of-life measures. Across Illinois, nearly 2 million live in poverty, representing nearly 14% of the overall population. For Latinos, the numbers are somewhat higher, with 19.9% of the population living in poverty.

According to the report, the Illinois school districts with the highest numbers of minority students receive 16% less a year in funding than other districts with fewer minority students. Racial and ethnic minority Illinoisans are 2-3 times less likely to have health insurance. Also, poor Latinos are more likely to live within a mile of a hazardous chemical facility compared to poor whites.

“The consistency and persistence of these severe disparities by race in Illinois underscore how much more work we have to do,” said report co-author Amy Terpstra, director of the Social IMPACT Research Center. “These inequities are the product of the public policies, market forces, and institutional practices of both yesterday and today, which systematically place barriers in the path of Illinoisans of color.”