The “Prairie State” is bursting with jobs in nursing. Registered nurses in Illinois report median salaries in the four largest cities as follows: Chicago $74,057, Aurora $65,447, Rockford $71,249 and Joilet at around $63,850.
Six of the top private sector employers in Illinois are medical centers or hospitals. Johnston R. Bowman Health Center in Chicago and Loyola University Hospital in Maywood are both ranked 11th with 8,000 employees each; Children’s Hospital- Illinois in Peoria, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital in Chicago, and Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago are tied at 14th with 6,000 employees each, and St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria is 20th with 5,000 employees.
Ten Largest Illinois Hospitals
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Rush University Medical Center
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital
- Advocate Christ Medical Center
- Evanston Northwestern Healthcare
- Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County
- Cook County Hospital
- Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
- Advocate Illinois Masonic Center
- OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
Three Largest Cities in Illinois
Illinois Facts and Figures
- 2012 Unemployment Rate: 8.7%
- Unemployment Rank: 41 of 50
- 2011 Per Capita Income: $44,140
- Per Capita Income Rank: 14 of 50
- 2011 Cost of Living Index: 97.0
- Cost of Living Rank: 24 of 50
