Illinois isn’t being hit as hard by the Federal Government shutdown as some other parts of the country, as numbers compiled by WalletHub suggest Illinois is the 11th hardest hit state.
They figure this using measures like a state’s share of federal jobs, a percentage of families receiving SNAP and access to national parks.
Fortunately, at least in this instance, Illinois isn’t very rich in National Parks.
Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program benefits reach 15 percent of Illinoisans, slightly above the national average.
The Midwest as a region generally has a lower portion of the population that receives SNAP benefits.
In fact, generally, the Midwest hasn’t been hit as hard, according to WalletHub’s list.
The Knox County Health Department’s Director of Wellness and Health Promotion says their services are unaffected.
Just about one in 150 working in Illinois are employed by the federal government.
Compare that to Virginia where one out of 32 work for the federal government and you can see who might feel the pinch of political bickering the most.
https://wallethub.com/edu/government-shutdown-report/1111/
