IL is a bit distinct in how it funds things: At the state level its per-pupil education funding is the lowest in the nation. Medicaid rolls are also lower than

IL is a bit distinct in how it funds things: At the state level its per-pupil education funding is the lowest in the nation. Medicaid rolls are also lower than the national average as well. If you are looking at the state level, it's a fairly lean operation, ranking quite low in terms of government employees per capita (see: http://www.governing.com/gov-data/public-workforce-salaries/states-most-government-workers-public-employees-by-job-type.html http://www.governing.com/gov-data/public-workforce-salaries/...) -- just 49 FTEs per 10,000 residents. There are deep-red stats with nearly double that figure. So how does IL do it? For starters, local property taxes pick up the slack. We have some of the highest in the nation. Further compounding this, we have hundreds of local governmental layers like townships that fall somewhere between a town/city and a county that provide services, have elected offices, pay employees, etc. It's services are all heavily localized because the state's involvement is limited. It's also grossly inefficient. IL needs a progressive income tax, pension reform, and needs to consolidate services at either the county or city level. Even Chicago, with all its graft and political machinery, was smart enough to jettison townships decades ago. I honestly have no clue what the redder, more conservative, more tax-conscious part of the state cling to them.