More than 45,000 people received abortions in Illinois in 2020, according to the most recent data available form the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Most of those who got abortions in Illinois were residents, with 36,000 patients from counties across the state. Yet, the majority of in-state patients were from a select few counties in the northeastern part of the state near Chicago — Cook, DuPage, Will and Lake — as well as St. Clair County near St. Louis.
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One county — the state’s most populous — saw far more abortions than others.
Almost half of all Illinois abortion patients (either in or out of state) were Cook County residents, with approximately 23,000 women seeking care in 2020. Comparatively, of those in-state residents who got abortions, 63% were from Cook County.
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Almost 40% of the Illinois population lives in Cook County, making it the largest county.
The graphic below shows the county of residence for in-state abortion patients in Illinois.
Still, many who seek care in Illinois come from neighboring states where abortion access is more limited. In 2020, 1 in 5 patients who received an abortion in Illinois came from out of state.
With the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade Friday and many surrounding states planning to implement more restrictive abortion laws, the number of out-of-state patients seeking abortion care in Illinois is expected to increase in the coming weeks and months.
Abortion providers across the state are already preparing for a massive influx in patients traveling to Illinois for the procedure. Planned Parenthood of Illinois anticipates an additional 20,000 to 30,000 patients will be crossing state lines for abortion care here each year.
As a result, Illinois could soon become a haven for abortion access in the region.
