We Work For Health Illinois is home to one of America’s strongest biopharmaceutical clusters hosting the largest concentration of biopharmaceutical companies outside of the Pennsylvania/New Jersey region. Illinois is home to 3,572 biotech companies, with the largest sector being in drugs and pharmaceuticals.
The biopharmaceutical sector is the foundation of one of Illinois’ most dynamic innovation and business ecosystems. Not only does the industry invest heavily in the research and development of new treatments and cures, it also generates high quality jobs, powers economic output and exports for the U.S. economy and sustains a very large-scale supply chain.
Update
Read our statement of opposition on HR 3 and other drug pricing proposals.
Learn about the economic impact of HR 3 and drug pricing proposals in Illinois.
Supporting High Quality Jobs in Illinois
The innovative biopharmaceutical sector directly supported 40,764 jobs in Illinois in 2017. These jobs are often high-skill, high-wage professions.
The industry also supported another 205,985 jobs indirectly, for a total of about 246,749 jobs across the Illinois economy. These additional jobs are with vendors and suppliers such as construction companies and I.T. companies, and jobs generated by the sector’s employees such as day care centers and restaurants.
Illinois workers whose jobs were supported by the biopharmaceutical sector paid a total of $4.2 billion in personal taxes in 2017—$3.8 billion in federal taxes and $436.4 million in state taxes.
Illinois' Economic Impact
In 2017, the biopharmaceutical sector supported $73.0 billion in economic output for the state of Illinois—including $34.3 billion generated directly by the sector, and another $38.6 billion through its vendors and suppliers and through the economic activity of its workforce.
Direct Output per Direct Employee in 2017
vendor relationships
vendor spending
$9,306,328,154
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