Market Overview

As the capital of Illinois, state government has long been the most notable economic driver in the greater Springfield area. With a metropolitan area of roughly 200,000, which covers Sangamon and Menard counties, Springfield accounts for roughly half of the total population. As a predominantly service based economy centered on public employment, Springfield has the highest business to resident ratio in the state. Many of these businesses play either a supporting role to the large public sector or are service industries requiring a labor pool similar to that of the public sector.

While Springfield does boast of the many small businesses located in the metropolitan area, the city has several key industries and businesses that represent large portions of the employment base, as well to help drive the labor market. The largest industry outside of the public sector in the Springfield area is health care, and the two largest private employers in the region are the hospitals located in Springfield, with SIU School of Medicine also among the top employers in the region. Outside of the healthcare industry, Springfield is home to several large back office operations for national firms in the insurance, telecommunications and technology industries.

In addition to the many government offices in the Springfield area, Springfield is home to two public facilities for higher education, with two more private schools located in the metropolitan area. The University of Illinois at Springfield is one of three locations for the state’s premier public school and has approximately 4,500 students enrolled in over thirty-nine degreed programs. Lincoln Land Community College, also located in Springfield, covers all or part of fifteen central Illinois counties and has nearly twenty thousand students enrolled on either a full or part time basis. Springfield and Sangamon County is among the most educated populations in the state with roughly three in ten residents having earned a college degree and one in ten with a post graduate degree.

Springfield’s high level of educational attainment in the community directly transcends to the quality of the labor force and the productivity of the businesses located here. Local businesses also have the benefit of a variety of workforce training and education programs held at several state and local training facilities to ensure area businesses have the highest quality workforce available. Since a productive workforce is closely linked with a happy workforce, businesses are unable to affect one of the key ingredients to a happy and productive workforce and are therefore dependant on the community to supply this vital attribute, which is an employee’s overall quality of life.

As a community, Springfield residents have access to a wide variety of social, educational, artistic, historic and recreational activities that serve to enhance the quality of life and provide entertainment for all. Unlike many other metropolitan areas throughout the United States, Springfield has been able to capture a unique small town essence and hometown personality without sacrificing its surprisingly urban business and social climates. A multitude of quality neighborhoods, community resources, quality schools and recreational opportunities are available for Springfield area residents and serve as the backbone of the overall Springfield community.

The City of Springfield maintains over thirty public parks, providing a range of recreational opportunities from tennis courts to ice rinks, swimming pools to Frisbee golf courses. Additionally, there are wildlife sanctuaries, a zoo, numerous hiking areas, equestrian and bike trails, nine public golf courses, several country club golf courses, a variety of theatre venues, a water park, college athletics, indoor and outdoor concert venues and a recreational lake. Lake Springfield, located on the southern edge of the community, provides 4,235 acres of water for recreation opportunities, surrounded by 57 miles of shoreline with eight public parks and a marina.

Despite the breadth of history, culture, and recreational opportunities found in Springfield’s metropolitan atmosphere, the high cost of living generally associated with metropolitan areas is conspicuously absent. Springfield has consistently been one of, if not the most affordable communities in Illinois. From the standpoint of both business owner and resident, dollars travel farther in Springfield than they would in other metropolitan areas across the state and nation.