Dupage Policy Journal

Illinois State House District 81 candidate Aaron Porter addressed the rising costs of goods in a Facebook post dated October 10. He said, "As of last year, Illinoisans needed $11,600 more per year to afford the same goods as in 2021."

"As of last year, Illinoisans needed $11,600 more per year to afford the same goods as in 2021," said Porter, according to Facebook. "Since then, inflation has increased another 6%! Excessive spending in Springfield and growth killing red tape only makes the problem worse. It's time for a leader who will promote police to grow our economy and reduce inflation."

In his post, Porter referenced a WGN report that detailed an economic analysis conducted by a group of Congressional Republicans. According to this analysis, members of the Joint Economic Committee developed an inflation tracker illustrating the impact of inflation on households within the state.

Screenshot of Aaron Porter's Oct. 10 Facebook post | Aaron Porter for Illinois State Representative Facebook page

The WGN report indicates: "The average Illinois household needs about $964 more per month, or $11,566 per year, to afford the same expenses they had in January 2021. Illinois is among the hardest hit by inflation in the Midwest. Inflation has pushed the cost of goods and services up 18% in Minnesota, where the average household needs almost $13,000 more a year to live like it’s early 2021. Wisconsin and Indiana have the same rates of inflation as Illinois, but an average household needs slightly less per year — about $10,100 in both states."

On October 11, USA Today reported that inflation reached a three-year low last month. Despite this decrease, consumer prices rose by 2.4% from September 2023. This increase was lower than August's rise of 2.5%. The core inflation rate—excluding food and energy items—rose by 0.3% in September, bringing core inflation to 3.3%, up from August's rate of 3.2%. However, food prices increased overall by 0.4% in September; egg prices surged by 8.4% due to an ongoing bird flu outbreak; bacon prices went up by 1.6%; raw ground beef prices increased by 0.4%; and chicken prices rose by 0.2%. Conversely, breakfast cereal and bread saw price reductions of 0.4% and 0.2%, respectively.

Porter is a lifelong resident of Downers Grove area and currently resides in Naperville with his wife and four children. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences from Saint Xavier University and has worked as a paraprofessional and volleyball coach before becoming a special education instructional assistant. Presently, he serves as a patrol officer in Naperville.