Springfield is the state capital of Illinois and rests in the county seat of Sangamon County. According to the US Census Bureau, the population of Springfield was roughly 116,250 individuals as of the 2010. This population estimate is what earns the city of Springfield's ranking as the six most populous city in the state of Illinois. Since the 2013, the city's population has estimated to have increased to roughly 117,006 individuals and just above 211,700 residents living in Springfield Metropolitan statistical area since 2013. This metropolitan area includes Sangamon County and Menard County. Springfield was initially settled by European colonists in the early 1800s around the same time that Illinois became a US state. Notable historic residence include Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln lived in Springfield from 1837 to 1861 during his time in the White House is president of the United States. Springfield is a major hub of tourism and attractions due to a multitude of historic monuments and grounds associated with Abraham Lincoln including Abraham Lincoln's presidential Museum, Lincoln's Springfield home, Lincoln's tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery, and Springfield's driving distance proximity to the historic town of New Salem.
The city of Springfield is also known for its recreation and versatile climate. Due to Springfield's latitude locations, it is known for its hot summers and cold winters as well as turbulent annual severe weather. Lake Springfield is also a notable attraction within the city as it is a large artificial lake created and owned by the City Water, Light & Power company (CWLP). CWLP is also the city's main supplier of recreation in drinking water.
The city is governed by a mayor–council form of government. The city proper is also the "Capital Township" governmental entity. In addition, the government of the state of Illinois is also based in Springfield. State government entities include the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor of Illinois. There are three public and three private high schools in Springfield. Public schools in Springfield are operated by District No. 186. Springfield's economy is marked by government jobs, and the medical field, which account for a large percentage of the city's workforce.
Springfield is home to three major universities. The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS, formerly Sangamon State University) is located in the southeast area of the city and has a rich history within Springfield as being one of the major employers as well as top higher education institutions. Second is Benedictine University at Springfield (formerly known as Springfield College in Illinois), with its chapter location on North Fifth Street. The third notable higher education institution is Robert Morris University (Illinois), located on Montvale, off Wabash.
Springfield is also home to a wide array of trade and vocational schools including junior college Lincoln Land Community College, with its location just south of the University of Illinois in Springfield. From the years 1875 to 1976, Springfield has also had a growing theological higher education presence to the Concordia Theological Seminary. This seminary moved its location from its original area in Fort Wayne, Indiana and now serves as the Department of Corrections Academy for the state of Illinois.
Springfield's most profitable higher education issues include medicine and technology. Springfield's is home to the campus of the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Among this university's notable affiliations and achievements is its affiliation with the Cancer Institute in Springfield's Medical District.
Springfield has won a variety of positive awards on statewide and national levels including its number 133 ranking out of 379 cities for best green cities, as awarded by Country Home magazine in conjunction with Sperling's BestPlaces. Springfield was also raised as a number 196th city on a list of 331 best places to live cities in the year 2005.
Students have much to look forward to when obtaining education at the primary or secondary level in Springfield. The average student can expect to pay roughly $15,118 for higher education in Springfield, Illinois. The teacher to student ratio is roughly 15 pupils for every teacher and 1174 students for every librarian. Weighed against the national averages for educational statistics and financing education, Springfield breaks down as follows:
Education in Springfield, Illinois
Expend. per Student $15,118
Educ. Expend. per Student $12,853
Instr. Expend. per Student $7,016
Pupil/Teacher Ratio 14.5
Grade School Educ. 2.54%
Some High School Educ. 6.11%
High School Educ. 91.35%
Some College Educ. 21.86%
2 yr College Grad. 7.65%
4 yr College Grad. 34.86%
Masters Grad. 9.72%
Professional Degree 3.05%
Doctorate Degree 1.15%
St. John's Hospital, now home to the Prairie Heart Institute, is also well-known for its advanced cardiovascular procedures within the state of Illinois. St. John's Hospital trumps the ability to perform such advanced procedures over any other hospital within Illinois coordinated healthcare system. St. John's Hospital was also a major center of cancer research and well-known for the presence of Simmons Cancer Institute. Other dominant healthcare providers in the area include SIU HealthCare and Springfield Clinic. One of the top employees in the state is the Southern Illinois University's school of medicine as it is directly affiliated with many of the local healthcare providers.
Civil service related jobs are among the highest paying jobs in the state as well as in the city of Springfield specifically. Public utilities work is one of the core industries in Springfield. Lake Springfield, City Water, Light & Power is the city's biggest supplier of electrical power, water and utilities. The presence of a variety of power plans including Dallman Power Plants provides the city of Springfield with many employment opportunities as well as electrical power for the eight surrounding communities. Since the year 2005, much headway was made towards the creation of a third municipality owned power plant. This power plant subsequently came online in the year 2009. Other top employers in the utilities sector include AmerenCILCO (formerly Central Illinois Light Company), one of the largest natural gas suppliers for Springfield.
University of Illinois at Springfield: This public university in Springfield Illinois is a liberal arts college and among the newest campuses within the University of Illinois higher education system. As a Limbaugh hearts University, this University is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. UIS was also ranked as a top regional university by the US News and World Report. The University of Illinois at Springfield offers a wide array of interdisciplinary liberal arts degree programs and opportunities to on campus degrees and online courses since the year 1999. Additional awards received by the University include a 2007 award for excellence in institution wide online teaching and learning and the 2008 Ralph E. Gomory Award for Quality Online Education.
The University of Illinois at Springfield of undergraduate tuition and fees for in-state students was roughly $11,367 as of the year 2014. Out-of-state tuition was roughly $20,517 as of the year 2014. The University's overall acceptance rate was roughly 61.6% as of 2014. Located at One William Maxwell Ln, Springfield, IL 62703, this college can be reached at: (217) 206-6600 or found on the web at: http://www.uis.edu.
Lincoln Land Community College: this community college in Springfield Illinois carries extended branches in various locations including the Eastern region education Center in Taylorville. Supplying Springfield residence with a vita ray of trade/vocational training courses with flexible scheduling, the average salary after attending undergraduate studies at discredit a college is roughly $28,100 as of the year 2013.
Overall undergraduate tuition and fees for in-state students was roughly $2748 as of the year 2014. For out-of-state students, the estimated tuition and fees was roughly $7716 2014. The colleges graduation rate is roughly 28.5% since 2014. Located at 5250 Shepherd Rd, Springfield, IL 62703, this college can be reached at: (217) 786-2200 or found on the web at: http://www.llcc.edu.
Benedictine University at Springfield: this University is a branch of the Benedictine University campus, which holds other chapters including one in Lisle, Illinois. The University offers a variety of accelerated associate graduate and bachelor's degree programs through the University school of graduate, adult and professional education. Additional undergraduate accelerated learning programs include degrees provided by the school of management, criminal justice, psychology and nursing. Graduate programs available through the University I completed to the colleges of reading and literacy, business administration, management and organizational behavior, English as a second language and bilingual endorsements. PhD programs available through the University include a PhD in organizational development. The university's main sectors include arts and humanities, business and technologies, health professions, mathematics and sciences and social sciences. Undergraduate tuition and fees for in-state students was roughly $10,360 as of the year 2012. Located at 1500 N 5th St, Springfield, IL 62702, this college can be reached at: (217) 525-1420 or found on the web at: https://www.ben.edu/springfield/
The health systems industry is among the top industries in the state as well as in the city of Springfield particularly. With the presence of two major medical centers, Memorial Medical Center and St. John's Hospital, there are many career opportunities within the healthcare profession at varying levels. To obtaining certification through vocational and trade schools or higher education and advanced degrees, many Springfield residents have opportunities at their fingertips to branch into jobs within the healthcare system. A notable third career opportunity in the Springfield area is provided by the third major hospital in Springfield, known as Doctor's Hospital. This hospital, located on the south side of Springfield is part of the major health systems industry in Illinois. Additionally, the presence of Kindred Healthcare, a long-term acute care hospital in Springfield open stores in 2010, broadened the opportunities for individuals with healthcare career certification. Now operating under the name Vibra Hospital, Vibra Healthcare was another local practice to open its doors in 2013 and become part of Springfield's sterling healthcare system.
The Parks and Recreation industry in Springfield was also among the top industries in the city. With over 30 parks to choose from throughout the city, Springfield is best known for Park, an Illinois Nature Preserve (located on the banks of Sangamon River) and Washington Park and Botanical Garden (located on the southwest side of the city adjacent many of Springfield's most notable architectural masterpiece homes). The historic presence of Abraham Lincoln also presents many opportunities for tours and attractions through Lincoln Park, Oak Ridge Cemetery and Nelson Recreation Center. Variety of sports activities are available through Springfield's many skate parks, tennis courts, ball fields, man-made hills for cardio exercises and winter sledding areas.
As of the year 2016, Springfield unemployment rate was roughly 5.10% with a job growth rate of 0.90%. On a very positive note, the future job growth over the next decade was predicted to be roughly 36.70%. Weight against the national averages, Springfield, Illinois shows positive trends in job growth and comparatively low unemployment rates. As of 2016, Springfield's sales tax rate was roughly 8.50% with an income tax of roughly 3.75%. The income per capita in Illinois including adults and children was roughly $29,621 as of 2016. The median household income was roughly $48,840.
Compared to national averages for job growth and trends in employment and income, Springfield, Illinois statistics breaks down as follows:
ECONOMY Springfield, Illinois United States
Unemployment Rate 5.10% 5.20%
Recent Job Growth 0.90% 1.59%
Future Job Growth 36.70% 37.98%
Sales Taxes 8.50% 6.00%
Income Taxes 3.75% 4.60%
Income per Cap. $29,621 $28,555
Household Income $48,848 $53,482
Family Median Income $67,193 $65,443
Many of the top employers in the city include headquarters of state government. Since 2002, the State of Illinois the city and county’s biggest employer. The state of Illinois employs roughly 17,000 individuals across Sangamon County. Since February 2007, trains and civil service related jobs include local, state and county jobs in nonagricultural employment. Trade, utilities, transportation and healthcare industries provide roughly between 17,000 and 18,000 employment opportunities throughout the city. The civil services sector as a whole accounts for roughly 30,000 of the city's non-agricultural employment opportunities. One of the largest private employers in the healthcare sector is the Memorial Health System. An estimated 3400 individuals work for this company.
According to the annual comprehensive financial report, Springfield's top employers are:
1 State of Illinois
2 Memorial Medical Center
3 St. John's Hospital
4 Springfield Public Schools
5 Springfield Clinic LLP
6 Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
7 City of Springfield
8 BlueCross BlueShield
9 Horace Mann Educators Corporation
10 University of Illinois at Springfield
Resources
Sperling’s Best Places. “Springfield, Illinois Economy.” 2016.
http://www.bestplaces.net/economy/city/illinois/springfield
Springfield Advantage. “Major Employers.” 2017.
http://springfieldadvantage.org/workforce/major-employers/
http://www.springfield.edu
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