Illinois families are preparing their final Thanksgiving dinner with the state’s 1% grocery tax. But will your municipality bring the tax back starting Jan. 1?
This Thanksgiving is the last one for Illinois’ statewide grocery tax, but only some Illinoisans will catch a break at the store in 2026: over 650 local governments passed their own grocery taxes.
Use the map or table below to see if your community is keeping the grocery tax.
Chicago leaders let the grocery tax expire and cannot impose it until after July 1. If they kill the tax for the whole year, Chicagoans will see roughly $80 million in food tax savings during 2026. Savings amount to about $120 for a family of four in a year.
That money could buy extra turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy next Thanksgiving. Illinois has been one of 13 states with a grocery tax, and the only one among the 10 biggest by population. Statewide grocery taxes are common only in states smaller than Illinois with different economies and tax revenues.
The state with the highest property taxes and second-highest gas taxes doesn’t need to ding families at the grocery store, too.
Communities that gave up the grocery tax have a competitive advantage over their neighbors. Plus, they ended some of the most regressive taxes in the state, hitting lower-income families hardest.
With high taxes as the No. 1 issue for Illinoisans, giving them a tax break on their need to eat is something to be thankful for.
