The latest report from the Illinois Economic Development Corporation (Illinois EDC) paints a picture of an Illinois economy that continues gaining momentum entering 2026, and Southern Illinois is part of that success story. 

According to the State of Business 2026 report, Illinois’ economy outperformed the national economy in 2025, with state GDP increasing 5.85% year-over-year, surpassing overall U.S. economic growth. The report also highlighted strong hiring trends, roughly 200,000 job openings statewide, growing entrepreneurship activity, expanding innovation industries, and continued investment in advanced technologies. Illinois also maintained its position as the #2 state in the nation for corporate expansions and relocations for the fourth consecutive year. 

Southern Illinois reflects many of those same trends. 

The Southern Region recorded the second-highest percentage increase in advanced manufacturing employment in Illinois from 2021 to 2025, with more than 11,500 workers now employed in the sector across the region. Beyond manufacturing, Southern Illinois is also demonstrating momentum across key industries that increasingly shape both the Illinois and national economy. Regional performance includes: 

• Ranked 2nd in Illinois for percentage job growth in Next Generation Agriculture 

• Ranked 3rd in Illinois for percentage job growth in Life Sciences 

• Tied for 1st in Illinois for percentage job growth in Information Technology 

• Ranked 1st in Illinois for percentage job growth in Finance & Insurance 

Together, these rankings point to growing innovation capacity, research and development activity, and broad-based economic momentum across Southern Illinois. 

That growth is being driven by a combination of new investment and continued expansion from existing employers throughout the region. 

Across Southern Illinois, companies continue reinvesting in operations, expanding facilities, modernizing production, and strengthening supply chains, while communities throughout the region are seeing increased interest from outside companies evaluating Southern Illinois for future growth and expansion opportunities. At the same time, communities across Southern Illinois, alongside the State of Illinois, continue making major investments in site readiness and industrial development. From utility upgrades and infrastructure improvements to due diligence studies and industrial park expansion, communities are proactively preparing shovel-ready sites capable of competing for large-scale industrial projects. These investments are helping position Southern Illinois to respond quickly when opportunities emerge, giving companies greater confidence that sites are prepared for development, expansion, and long-term success. 

A major reason for that interest is what Southern Illinois Now refers to as the “R4 Advantage”: Roads, Rivers, Rails, and Runways. Southern Illinois offers direct interstate access through I-24, I-57, and I-64, access to five of the nation’s six Class I railroads, connectivity to the Kaskaskia, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers, and daily jet service to and from Chicago O’Hare through Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois. Together, these assets create one of the Midwest’s strongest multimodal transportation networks as evidenced by the region’s Top Logistics Hub designation. As companies place greater emphasis on supply chain efficiency, transportation access, and operational flexibility, these advantages are becoming increasingly valuable. 

The report suggests Illinois is well-positioned entering 2026 because of investment growth, expanding innovation industries, and increasing AI adoption across sectors. Southern Illinois is aligning with many of those same trends through manufacturing modernization, industrial technology growth, logistics expansion, energy development, and workforce alignment efforts happening throughout the region. 

Partnerships continue playing a major role in that progress. 

Collaboration between the Illinois Economic Development Corporation (Illinois EDC), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), regional economic development organizations, utilities, local governments, educational institutions, and private industry is helping position communities across Illinois for long-term growth. 

In Southern Illinois, those partnerships are translating into infrastructure investment, industrial site readiness, workforce development, utility coordination, and expanded business recruitment efforts. Communities throughout the region are preparing industrial sites, improving transportation access, expanding utility capacity, and aligning training programs with future workforce needs. 

The report also noted that entrepreneurship remained strong statewide, with approximately 189,000 new business applications filed in Illinois during 2025. That entrepreneurial momentum is reflected in Southern Illinois as small businesses, startups, family-owned manufacturers, logistics providers, agricultural operations, and technology-focused companies continue contributing to the region’s evolving economy. 

Importantly, the report showed Illinois experienced job growth across all major focus industries, with diverse growth across regions reinforcing statewide momentum. That matters because it demonstrates economic growth is occurring not just in one metropolitan area, but across multiple regions with different strengths and industries contributing to Illinois’ overall performance. 

Southern Illinois’ role in that future continues growing. 

From advanced manufacturing and agriculture to logistics, energy, technology, and life sciences, the region is increasingly aligning with the sectors driving national economic investment. Combined with the region’s transportation assets, workforce strengths, available industrial land, and collaborative approach to economic development, Southern Illinois is positioning itself as an important contributor to Illinois’ continued expansion entering 2026 and beyond.