Leading the way in
medical discovery
Illinois is a global leader in pharmaceuticals, medical manufacturing and distribution, and agricultural feedstock and industrial bioscience. The state offers an ideal location for life sciences companies to grow thanks to its unmatched talent, thriving ecosystem, and world-class infrastructure — and at a fraction of the cost compared to the coasts.
Life Sciences
Specialized Subclusters
Home to 15.5K+ life sciences companies from startups to Fortune 500s (#3 in the Midwest; top 10 in the U.S.) and employing 642K+ individuals (#2 in the Midwest, top 10 in the U.S.), Illinois is a top-5 state overall for producing life sciences talent. The state is a national leader in 3 bioscience subclusters: pharmaceuticals, agricultural feedstock and industrial bioscience, and bioscience-related distribution (in fact, Illinois is the only state in the U.S. with both a large and specialized workforce in this subcluster), offering companies a robust and ready workforce unlike any other.
Affordable Opportunity
Chicago ranks as the #1 most cost-effective destination for life sciences office space among its peers, offering lower rent for lab and R&D space than the coasts. Chicago rates are, on average: 61% less expensive than New York City, 55% less expensive than San Francisco, and 39% less expensive than Boston — without skimping on an exceptional quality of life and innovation ecosystem. Plus, the state’s unmatched connectivity via digital and physical channels allows people and products to reach both domestic and global markets reliably via air, rail, road, and water, and with greater cost efficiency.
Innovation Ecosystem
Illinois is home to a powerful and emerging startup ecosystem plus 4 of the top-10 largest medical device companies in the U.S. With a combined revenue of $75B, powerhouses Medline, GE HealthCare, Abbott, and Baxter are driving the growth of the medtech sector in Metro-Chicago. In 2022, Chicago was chosen for the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub investment of $250M to advance biomedical research, further driving Illinois' R&D. Convening startups and Fortune 500s alike, plus incubators, accelerators, and supportive government programs, Illinois ensures the industry thrives — and continues to change lives.
Notable Illinois Businesses
Notable Illinois Businesses
Top Illinois life sciences employers include:
- Medline
- Abbott
- AbbVie
- Fresenius Kabi
- Baxter
- GE HealthCare
Key Data
- Top-5 state for producing life sciences talent and #7 in the U.S. for producing life sciences doctorates
- Home to 15.5K+ life sciences companies (#3 in Midwest; top 10 in U.S.), employing 618K+ individuals (#2 in Midwest; top 10 in U.S.)
- #2 in the Midwest for number of bioscience-related patents
- #6 in the U.S. (Chicago metro) for healthcare GRP ($100B+)
- #8 in the U.S. for amount of NIH dollars awarded
- #9 in the U.S. for university research expenditures in life sciences ($2B+)
- Top-5 state for venture capital investments in healthcare technology systems, monitoring equipment, and all other digital health (receiving over $11B in bioscience VC investments from 2019-2023: #1 in Midwest; #4 in U.S.)
- Received 496 National Science Foundation awards in 2024 alone, totaling over $258M
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