Illinois has been making headlines lately for having the highest unfunded pension liability in the nation: nearly $100 billion. But failing to meet our obligations to retirees is not the only thing we do best around here. To make you feel like a state-riot, here are some areas where Illinois is number one, number two or number three.
- Soybean production: 2nd (416 million bushels) American Soybean Association
- Corn production: 2nd (1.9 billion bushels) United States Department of Agriculture
- Abraham Lincoln statues: 1st (More than 150) Lincoln In Illinois, by Richard Hart and Ron Schramm
- Mississippi riverbank: 1st (450 miles) Experience Mississippi River
- Dog bite claims: 2nd (337) State Farm Insurance
- Political corruption: 3rd (1,828 convictions since 1976) University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs
- Interstate highway miles: 3rd (2,169) U.S. Department of Transportation
- Units of government: 1st (6,994) U.S. Census Bureau
- Nuclear power generation: 1st U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Ethanol production: 3rd (1.5 billion gallons) U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Acreage devoted to growing horseradish: 1st (1,800) U.S Department of Agriculture
- Gang members per capita: 1st (8-11 per 1,000) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
- Foreclosure rate: 1st (1 of every 298 homes) RealtyTrac
- Pumpkin production: 1st (496 million pounds) Agricultural Marketing Research Center
- Processed food sales: 1st ($162 billion) State of Illinois
- Outmigration-to-inmigration ratio: 2nd (-5.7 percent) U.S. Census Bureau
- Cities with red-light camera enforcement programs: 2nd (70) Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- Recoverable coal reserves: 2nd (37.8 billion short tons) U.S. Energy Information Administration
- African-American senators: 1st (3) Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Nobel Prizes: 1st (62) Nobel Prize
