Illinois Triumphs in Corporate Growth By Ranking #2 in the Nation for Expansions

In a tough time economically, Illinois seems to be thriving when it comes to corporate expansions and job creation. As an Illinoisan, I'm so excited to see the amazing things happening in the Land of Lincoln.

I can speak from a genuine experience. I graduated college in 2021, right out of the pandemic. And as a writer, things weren't pretty or easy. After moving here and seeing this list, I'm becoming very hopeful and grateful to be where I am and to see growth happening!

Illinois Ranks #2 in the Nation for Corporate Expansions

Site Selection, a magazine that highlights insights into corporate expansion projects, does yearly rankings based on corporate expansions and relations in the U.S. And, lucky for us, it looks like Illinois is killing it.

Illinois nearly tops the list, right behind Texas, at #2 for the second consecutive year. What was exciting to me was seeing that there were 552 expansion projects OR relocations in 2023. That's 65 more than projects that happened in 2022.

SEE MORE: How Close Is Illinois To Making The 32-Hour Work Week Law?

Chicago also was highlighted for being a big part of the state's success, being acknowledged as the Top Metro for business for the 11th year in a row!

Companies That Expanded to Illinois in 2023

Illinois.gov recognized a few companies that were a part of our state receiving success in 2023. Those companies include...

• Gotion- 2,600 jobs created
• Gulfstream-  200 jobs created and 500 retained
• Kraft Heinz- 150 jobs created
• Incobrasa- 40 jobs created and 200 retained

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The full list highlights more companies, but those are the ones that stood out to me in this press release. The company that released the report, Site Selection, also had some great words to say about our state's continued progress.

Mark Arend, editor-in-chief of Site Selection states,

This demonstrates to our readers that Illinois is delivering the right location criteria to companies siting new projects and expanding existing ones.

I'm so happy to hear this news and cannot wait to see how things only improve for us in the future. For me, Illinois has been a pricey state that's been a huge teacher to me when it comes to budgeting and figuring out adulthood. But I love to learn, and this is becoming the perfect state with ample opportunity to do so!

After seeing Chicago's praise, I wanted to check out some of the jobs in the city! Take a look at what I found out!