Cost of Living

One of the benefits of a Kewanee location is the low cost of living. Kewanee is part of the Quad Cities IL/IA MSA and is located on the edge of the Peoria-Pekin, IL MSA. Both areas are recognized as having very affordable and attractive costs of living that translate into lower business operating costs. Kewanee’s cost of living is even lower and by some estimates, it is 30% below national figures (Sperling’s Best Places Website)

Location 1Q 2010 - Composite 1Q 2010 - Grocery 1Q 2010 - Housing 1Q 2010 - Utilities 1Q 2010 - Transportation 1Q 2010 - Health Care 1Q 2010 - Misc Goods and Services 2009 Annual Avg - Composite
Quad Cities IL/IA MSA (Includes Henry County, IL; Mercer County, IL; Rock Island County, IL; Scott County, IA) 98.7 100.5 96.8 81.3 108.1 97.4 101.9 96.7
Peoria-Pekin, IL MSA (Includes Marshall County, IL; Peoria County, IL; Stark County, IL; Tazewell County, IL; Woodford County, IL) 95 92.5 93.2 87.1 101.9 96.3 97.4 100.6

Source: C2ER; ACCRA Cost of Living Index; 1st Quarter 2010; Annual Average 2009 and Bi-State Regional Planning Commission

Gross Domestic Product

Location Gross Domestic Product 2008
Quad Cities IL/IA MSA $16,791,000,000
Peoria – Pekin IL MSA $17,308,000,000
Total Regional GDP $34,099,000,000

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis

Expense Statistics for Kewanee

Index score (100 = National Average) represents the average household expenses in this category

Expense Index Score
Total Expenses 76
Apparel 75
Contributions 69
Education 66
Entertainment 74
Food & Beverage 78
Gifts 70
Health Costs 81
Home Furnishings 72
Household Costs 69
Insurance 69
Miscellaneous 78
Personal 76
Shelter 75
Transportation 76
Utilities 80

Source: Cityinfo.local.com

Retail Sales

Kewanee has always been an attractive community for retailers and serves as a regional retail center for communities in a 25 mile market area. Residents in Kewanee and surrounding areas have a number of shopping options within the community which is evidenced by our vibrant downtown, healthy retail developments, and thriving retailers.

City of Kewanee Retail Sales (2000 to 2009)

Year Total Retail Sales Sales Per Firm Per Capita Sales
2000 $171,124,445 $379,433 $13,220
2001 $176,445,690 $392,975 $13,776
2002 $177,982,476 $413,913 $13,977
2003 $172,948,600 $408,862 $13,631
2004 $184,292,725 $445,152 $14,687
2005 $224,373,779 $529,183 $17,992
2006 $238,022,399 $565,374 $19,250
2007 $237,642,518 $556,540 $19,258
2008 $238,080,979 $659,504 $19,353
2009 $213,000,000 $645,455 $17,400

Between 2000 and 2008, total retail sales in Kewanee increased 39.1%. During the same time period, the State of Illinois’ total retail sales increased 20.8%. In 2008, Kewanee had per capita retail sales of $19,353 in comparison to $12,774 for downstate Illinois (outside of Chicago MSA) during the same year. This resulted in a positive pull factor of 1.52 meaning that Kewanee exceeded what would be expected compared to other downstate communities and is attracting customers from outside to its retailers. Like all communities, Kewanee’s total retail sales decreased in 2009 but are projected to increase based on early 2010 figures.

Regional Retail Sales 2008

Region Total Retail Sales
Kewanee $238,080,979
Henry County $521,416,539
Quad Cities IL/IA MSA $4,811,980,605
Peoria –Pekin MSA $4,734,000,000
Total Regional Retail Sales $9,545,980,605

Sources: Illinois Department of Revenue and Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs

Economic Statistics