Windhort’s district included the vast majority of the communities examined in The Southern’s report. 

“When we say that the region is in crisis, it’s important to first understand the full depth of what that means,” the One Shawnee report reads. “In turn, it becomes clear that something must be done and illustrates why our work will be important.”

Based on almost every measurable category, the poorest counties in Illinois largely reside in the Ohio River Valley and surrounding Shawnee Forest region, the report said. In the 10-county region, about 18% of people live in poverty, compared to 12% in the state as a whole. The childhood poverty rates are even more staggering. In 2017, Illinois’ child poverty rate was 17%. In the One Shawnee region, every county was above that rate with the highest being Alexander County, at 50%.

Data show that people are also less likely to finish high school, obtain post-secondary degrees, find meaningful employment or even live as long as their statewide peers. Every county in the region has a lower life expectancy than the state’s overall rate.

With job options declining, many of the region’s young people are moving on when they get the chance. 

This 10-county region has a population of about 100,000 in 2018, U.S. Census Bureau figures show. That’s about 7% fewer people than lived there in 2010. During the same time, the state of Illinois lost fewer than 1% of its population, according to One Shawnee’s report.