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.
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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Elected Officials
Partners
Co-Chairs
Michelle Orive, Rush to Live
Todd Maisch, Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Mark Denzler, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association
Alicia Loffler, Innovation and New Ventures Northwestern University
Biopharma
AbbVie
Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
CSL Behring
Horizon Pharma
Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals
PhRMA
Takeda
Labor
AFL-CIO
Home Builders Association of Illinois
International Association of Firefighters
SEIU of Illinois
Teamsters Joint Council
Patient Groups
Arthritis Foundation
Bleeding Disorders Alliance Illinois
Epilepsy Foundation of North/Central Illinois
Illinois Pharmacists Association
Kidney Cancer Association
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Illinois
National Alliance on Mental Illness, Greater Chicago
Prevent Blindness America
Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago
Rush to Live
Business Organizations
Center for Healthcare Innovation
Chicago Life Science Consortium
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO)
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Manufacturers’ Association
Illinois Science and Technology Coalition
Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council
Midwest Business Group on Health
National Hispanic Life Sciences Society
National Taxpayers United of Illinois
Vendors
Tek Sci Productions
The CARA Group
The Meeting Group
Higher Education
Northwestern University, Center for Biotechnology
University of Illinois at Chicago
University Technology Park at IIT
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