Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity

Chicago’s quantum hub has some of the highest state funding per job. Here’s the breakdown

The state’s new quantum manufacturing park promises about 300 positions but most require specialized skills, and each one comes with a public price tag.

by Binghui Huang and Andrew Adams February 5, 2026April 27, 2026

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Chicago’s quantum hub has some of the highest state funding per job. Here’s the breakdown

by Binghui Huang and Andrew Adams, Illinois Answers Project
February 5, 2026

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From left: Mayor Brandon Johnson, Senate President Don Harmon and backers of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park planned for the long-vacant South Works steel mill site in South Chicago clap at a press conference announcing the project on July 25, 2024 Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

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Tagged: quantum, quantum hub, Explainer

Binghui HuangEquity & Economic Opportunity Investigative Reporter

bhuang@illinoisanswers.org

Binghui Huang is an investigative reporter covering economic and equity issues in Chicago. She previously covered health and business at the Indianapolis Star. With more than a decade in local news, she has uncovered dangerous carcinogenic pollution by a medical device maker, investigated worker abuses in RV factories and revealed shoddy work by workplace safety inspectors due to decades of underfunding and cuts to the department. Her reporting has prompted changes in business practices, legislative reform and increased funding to critical programs.

More by Binghui Huang

Andrew AdamsData and Interactives Journalist

aadams@bettergov.org

Andrew Adams joined the Illinois Answers team in 2025 as a data and interactives journalist. Andrew previously worked for Capitol News Illinois, covering the energy industry, economic incentive programs and legislative issues affecting Chicagoland. Previously, he built a data beat for a national magazine covering the tech industry, conducted academic research into gun violence in downstate Illinois, and worked on an award-winning series analyzing the effects of stimulus programs during the pandemic. He holds degrees from the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois Springfield.

More by Andrew Adams