NEW APPLICATIONS · 12 MO
NEW APPS · 12 MO
195,475
ALL INDUSTRIES · NSA
DATA · ILLINOIS
Illinois business formation data
SERIES: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU BFS · MONTHLY · NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED
RETRIEVED JUL 27 2026
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU · BFS
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU · BFS
STATE FORMATION DATA — ILLINOIS ALL INDUSTRIES · MONTHLY · NSA
IL
STATE OF ILLINOIS
ALL INDUSTRIES
ALL INDUSTRIES
YOY CHANGE
▲ 15%
VS PRIOR 12 MO
HIGH-PROPENSITY SHARE
HIGH-PROPENSITY
29.3%
LIKELY EMPLOYER BUSINESSES
STATE FILING FEE · LLC
LLC FILING FEE
$150
ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION · LLC-5.5
SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, BUSINESS FORMATION STATISTICS — RETRIEVED JUL 2026 CENSUS.GOV/BFS /METHODOLOGY/
READING THE SERIES
Illinois is one of the few pilot states whose applications crest in autumn rather than spring, a seasonal shape apart from the region's usual pattern. Its high-propensity share sits around the pilot's midpoint, and year-over-year growth across the window shown is steady rather than surging.
MARKET SIGNAL
195,475 new business applications in Illinois (last 12 mo) ▲ 15% YoY
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, BFS — retrieved Jul 2026 Embed this chart
U.S. TOP SECTORS · NEW APPS 12 MO
RANK
SECTOR · NAICS
APPS 12 MO
YOY
1
Retail trade NAICSRET
1,185,780
▲ 26%
2
Professional services NAICS54
869,320
▲ 25%
3
Construction NAICS23
543,434
▲ 6%
4
Other services NAICS81
497,941
▲ 4%
NATIONAL SCOPE — BFS PUBLISHES SECTOR SERIES FOR THE U.S. ONLY · JUL ’25 – JUN ’26, NSA
Source: BusinessFormation.us analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics, retrieved Jul 2026. businessformation.us/data/illinois/