Illinois is home to one of the best Christmas towns in America: Galena has been ranked 19th out of 152 towns in terms of weather, food, lodging, transport, and—of course—Christmas activities. Chicago also made the list, ranked No. 141, which means the west suburbs are flanked by a plethora of holiday cheer!
33%
According to the Illinois state fire marshal’s office, more than a third of home decoration fires are started by candles. Remember to keep lit candles away from flammables, turn off string lights before leaving home or going to bed, and check live tree levels daily.
94.4%
The percentage of DuPage County residents 65 and over who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Those 18 and older in the county have a vaccination rate of 81.5 percent, which is higher than the national average of 70.2 percent.
The percentage of Illinois residents who have experienced “pandemic brain,” according to a recent survey by an online gaming company. Gen Z is the age group most affected by the frustratingly subtle and gradual mental deterioration due to chronic stress caused by the pandemic.
3.7%
Naperville’s poverty rate is the fifth lowest in the country, according to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. While there are 5,384 residents who live below the poverty level, the level is significantly lower than the national average of 12.3 percent.
16 mil.
The number of U.S. residents who dealt with smoking-related illnesses in 2020, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control, costing $300 billion annually. Although cigarette smoking has dropped 30 percent since 1995, 11.9 percent of Naperville residents still smoke.
The initial cash investment available to medical device start-ups through local innovation center mHUB. Its Accelerated Incubation program provides a six-month boost for selected teams, with an emphasis on product development and commercialization. Financing support includes startup capital and follow-on investments by industry partners, such as Baxter and Edward-Elmhurst Health Venture Capital.
44
The number of applicants in the 2021 Health Tech Venture Challenge, a global competition hosted by Advocate Aurora Health and Matter, a Chicago-based health care startup. The winner, San Francisco-based Health Note, automates clinic workflows by predocumenting medical notes with symptoms, medications, and prior patient visits. The company won $10,000 in July to pilot its solution with Advocate Aurora Health.
The number of Americans testing positive for COVID-19 who will develop long-term symptoms, according to Dr. Jerry Krishnan, University of Illinois at Chicago associate vice chancellor for population health sciences and professor of medicine and public health. Krishnan is working with an Illinois-based team to form a directory of state resources for these long-haul COVID-19 patients.
20
The number of cardiologists who formed Midwest Cardiovascular Institute, a new practice with locations at Edward Hospital in Naperville and Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst. The joint venture includes comanagement of the cardiac catheterization labs at the hospitals, as well as assistance with hospital rounding and case oversight.
8th
The Illinois ranking in the U.S. for distracted- driving accidents, according to a new report by Zutobi. In 2019, 151 fatal crashes here were caused by things like cellphone use, eating, and applying makeup.
The number of tons of food transported through Illinois in the U.S. food network, according to a study in Environmental Science and Technology. Illinois is the most-critical hub in the network that supplies 400 million tons of food annually.
65+
The age of patients at the Northwestern Medicine Innovative Primary Care Clinic (nm.org) recently opened at 636 Raymond Drive in Naperville. Patients at the walk-in facility will be assisted by health coaches to navigate specialists, tests, appointments, and transportation, and social workers for needs like food and housing insecurities.
7%
The percentage of increase in spring forest flowers—which helps the bumblebee population to survive—within Illinois since 1997, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
The funds awarded by the National Institutes of Health to Northern Illinois University for its FoodMaster initiative, a tool to teach mathematics and science. The NIH grant aims to expand the existing FoodMASTER initiative science curriculum to K–12 teachers and educators throughout Illinois and nationally.
10
The number of policies recommended to reduce the number of people killed each year by gun violence in Illinois, according to a new evidence-based report authored by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.
$1,000
The cost of a new robot developed by a team of engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. The UVBot can destroy 99 percent of COVID-19 particles and can be used to disinfect classrooms, office, and public transportation vehicles.
Residents of DuPage County are the healthiest in Illinois, according to a 2021 report by the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Counties are judged on factors including access to medical screenings and healthy food, plus behaviors like smoking, obesity, and exercise.
345
The number of DuPage County residents who died of lung cancer in 2019, despite advances in diagnosis and treatments. It remains one the most common and dangerous cancers in the U.S.
#10
According to a recent SmartAsset study, Naperville ranks 10th among the nation’s safest cities. Out of 200 cities examined, Naperville had the lowest property crime rate (358 incidents for every 100,000 residents). But the city finished in the bottom half due to excessive drinking—19.85 percent of its adult residents drink heavily.
The percentage of DuPage County residents—272,405 out of a population of 928,589—who have been fully vaccinated (in phases 1a, 1b, and 1c) for COVID-19 at presstime, up from 1.63% reported in mid-February.
$3.66
The average per-tooth gift from the tooth fairy for kids in the Midwest—a thrifty offering, according to a poll by Naperville-based Delta Dental of Illinois. Half of the kids in the nation are receiving over $5 per tooth.
1.8
The city’s total motor vehicle fatalities per 100,000, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Naperville is the seventh-safest city for driving in the United States when factoring in the likelihood of experiencing a collision, motor vehicle fatality rates, and fatal collisions involving a drunk driver.
The percent of Naperville residents who are sleep deprived (getting less than 7 hours per night), according to CDC data. Lack of sleep is associated with other health concerns such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, and depression.
56%
The number of Americans who are comfortable traveling for a vacation in 2021, according to a Morning Consult study commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Seventy percent of Americans took vacations in prepandemic years.
ONE MILLION
The number of Illinois students in kindergarten through 12th grade—including 700,000 outside Chicago—who were receiving instruction from home in February, according to Illinois State Board of Education data. Fewer than 185,000 pupils were back in class full time.
The amount of Medicaid money set aside by the Illinois General Assembly in January that will fund community initiatives to improve health and medical care in low-income areas of the state.
3.34%
The percentage of DuPage residents who have been vaccinated (in phases 1a and 1b) for COVID-19 at presstime.
$62 million
The funds collected from recreational marijuana sales, set aside to foster businesses and help neighborhoods hurt by poverty and violence.
30.3%
The percent of Naperville residents who are sleep deprived (getting less than seven hours per night), according to CDC data. Lack of sleep is associated with numerous health conditions.
Illustration by Kevin Sterjo
Naperville magazine is the premier lifestyle living publication of Chicago’s west suburbs
