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Who's thinking "big"? Who's shaping the future? And who's in the top 10? Our region's economic highlights
In this newsletter, we’re sharing some of the great things happening around northeastern Illinois. Learn more about economic success stories, significant regional events, and tools from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to help you discover and navigate important data.
We know our region is outstanding for economic development. Learn more about how two northeastern Illinois counties rank among the very best in the United States.
Also, get a glimpse of some impressive regional gatherings, from the Big Event in Lake County to the DuPage County Regional Business Outlook to the Eye Opener breakfast in Will County.
You can check out the Kane County Housing Ready Market Analysis. Get answers about employment in your community from our award-winning Job Quality and Access Tool. And take a deep dive into our Local Housing Profiles, with key information about every community in our region.
If you're not yet a subscriber, please sign up for CMAP's topic-based newsletters. And if you have regional economic news to share, tell us about it.
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Top 10: Cook and Lake counties rank among the best for economic development in the U.S.
Cook and Lake counties rank among the top American counties for economic development, according to Site Selection Magazine.
Cook County ranks 3rd and Lake County ranks 10th in the list of top 20 counties overall. Maricopa County in Arizona comes in first while counties in Texas and Ohio round out the other top ten spots.
The rankings are based on number of projects between January 2024 and March 2025, capital investment, and jobs created. They also recognize the often behind-the-scenes contributions county officials make in facilitating both project attraction and project retention.
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Thinking "big": Lake County Partners' signature event brings in business leaders, innovators, and more
Lake County Partners recently celebrated its annual "Big Event." It drew a sold-out crowd of more than 500 business leaders, innovators, and stakeholders from Lake County and beyond.
The Big Event is renowned for delivering cutting-edge insights into critical economic development trends while celebrating Lake County's business community through awards, networking, collaborations, speakers, and more.
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Lake County and CMAP partner to expand housing with support from Schreiber Philanthropy
To help fuel economic growth, Lake County and CMAP, with support from Schreiber Philanthropy, are teaming up to expand affordable and accessible housing in Illinois’ third-most-populous county.
The goal of this initiative is to increase the supply of affordable housing through actionable, municipality-specific solutions. The partners will convene a housing task force comprised of municipalities across the county. The task force will evaluate tools and resources to address housing challenges, culminating in a step-by-step Housing Ready toolkit.
A key piece of this effort will be engaging stakeholders to identify obstacles, opportunities, and necessary resources. This coalition will host a housing summit next year to generate momentum and build community support.
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The Road Ahead: Gov. Pritzker, DuPage County leaders help businesses and organizations prepare for the future
The 15th annual DuPage County Regional Business Outlook brought more than 600 of the region's business and civic leaders to Drury Lane.
Under the theme The Road Ahead, those at the event offered insights and perspectives on how businesses and organizations can prepare for tomorrow. Gov. JB Pritzker delivered the keynote address. Deborah Conroy, chair of the DuPage County Board, provided a snapshot of the county's economy. Beth Ann Bovino, chief economist of U.S. Bank, offered the economic outlook while Wendell Dallas, president and CEO of Nicor, presented the business outlook.
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Analysis provides an understanding of DuPage County's competitive advantages
The DuPage County Industry Cluster Analysis explores a wide range of data to identify emerging, leading, and maturing industry trends in the region.
The latest version is out, released by Choose DuPage. It features up-to-date information through 2024 and provides a comprehensive overview of DuPage County’s economy, identifies key areas of competitive strength, and helps guide strategic economic development.
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Eye Opener: Will County's annual breakfast event highlights the community's business leaders
More than 300 investors, business leaders, elected officials, and more packed the Will County Center for Economic Development's annual Eye Opener breakfast.
From regional developments to national economic trends, the event highlighted key issues shaping Will County’s future and celebrated the momentum underway. The Eye Opener breakfast is the organization's mid-year briefing, which offers insight about what lies ahead, from infrastructure improvements to industries poised for growth.
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Kane County Housing Readiness Market Analysis: highlighting key factors that will help shape the future
Did you know that in Kane County...
- About 70 percent of residents live in the eastern third of the county
- The population has increased by 22 percent in the past two decades
- One- and two-person households make up the majority, yet housing stock is dominated by three- and four-bedroom homes
- Median home values saw a 30 percent increase between 2020 and 2023
Kane County is partnering with CMAP on a Housing Readiness Plan. It’ll assess the county's housing needs, so communities can become housing-ready. And it can help with breaking through barriers to clear the way for the housing options the county needs.
A key component of this plan is the latest Kane County Housing Readiness Market Analysis. In it, you’ll find information that identifies trends in population, housing, and development. It provides a snapshot of the county’s housing, zoning, and land use conditions, as well as key factors that will influence future housing plans.
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Kane County business and community leaders come together for annual roundtable
Kane County welcomed representatives from municipalities, chambers of commerce, educational institutions, and nonprofits to its annual roundtable event. A group of two dozen attendees shared success stories, new initiatives, and more.
The event featured an update on Kane County Housing Readiness, an initiative developed in partnership with CMAP that addresses the shortage of affordable, workforce housing by offering data, zoning recommendations, and guidance on accessing state and local funding.
They also discussed the newly formed Kane County Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit public-private partnership that will help coordinate economic development efforts across the county.
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McHenry County EDC debuts new monthly newsletter
The McHenry County Economic Development Corporation has launched a new monthly newsletter — the MCEDC Development Digest — with news on economic development in McHenry County, featuring resources for businesses, upcoming events, and more.
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Award-winning Job Quality & Access Tool provides insights about your community's employment trends
What kind of opportunities exist to connect your community's residents to good jobs? Do the jobs offered as part of a new development offer good opportunities for residents? Are the jobs accessible to residents?
Answers and insights are just a few clicks away. CMAP's Job Quality and Access Tool is available on our website. Earlier this year, it earned the American Planning Association’s 2025 Innovation-Implementation Award.
The tool provides analysis on employment trends, industry clusters, the quality of jobs, and accessibility (such as the level of education required). Communities can use this tool to understand their local labor market, identify areas that need assistance, and develop plans to strengthen industries that support shared prosperity.
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Local Housing Profiles help policymakers, planners, researchers, and residents make informed decisions
Did you know that most of Berwyn’s housing is at least as old as the movie The Wizard of Oz? Or that if you live in the Village of Bensenville, you’re just as likely to rent your home as you are to be a homeowner?
CMAP — in partnership with the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University — created the Local Housing Profiles to help policymakers, planners, researchers, and residents understand key information about their community. You can learn about housing demand, supply, and affordability, relative to regional trends.
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