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YEH in Illinois: 2021-2022 School Year Population vs. Rate Maps

Key Takeaways:

  • The difference between the left center maps is the inclusion of Cook County. Removing Cook County allows for the population gradient to show more variance in counties that would otherwise be hidden due to Cook County’s population density.
  • The center map shows that urban counties (purple) have higher populations of YEH, which is to be expected given the higher population overall.
  • The map on the right reveals that despite high YEH populations in some urban counties, the rate of YEH is much lower. In fact, several southern rural counties have the highest proportion of YEH (dark teal) in their schools, with some counties surpassing 10%.

YEH in Illinois: Change in Rate Over Time (2019-2022 School Years)

Key Takeaways:

  • While the color gradients may change from year to year, the counties with high rates of YEH (particularly in the south) maintain their high rates over time, further highlighting a systemic and enduring problem of homelessness.
  • The line graph in the bottom right corner shows a dip in the YEH state rate in the 2020-2021 school year. While this dip is small proportionally (a difference of 0.2%), it represents more than 5,600 children. As seen in the graph, the rate returned to its “normal” position hovering near 2% the following year. This likely means these 5,600 YEH did not simply disappear, but were uncounted by their school perhaps due to the many changes in learning environments the COVID-19 pandemic affected that year.