Champaign is the economic center of East Central Illinois. Also, due to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and numerous well known technology startup firms, Champaign is recognized as a significant part of the Silicon Prairie. Champaign is also home to numerous Fortune 500 companies.
The city includes a prominent technology and software sector. The Research Park includes numerous prominent companies such as iCyt, Illinois State Geological Survey, Yahoo!, Science Applications International Corporation, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Riverglass Inc, State Farm Research Center and Tekion. Some of the notable technology and software firms with offices in Champaign are AMD, IBM, Intel, Wolfram Research, Power World, Phonak, the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Champaign and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
The city is also home to nationally known record labels, recording studios, booking agencies and artist management firms such as Undertow Music, Polyvinyl Records, Pogo Studios, Parasol Records and Nocodemus Booking Agency.
Shown below is a list of the major employers in the Champaign area:
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Carle Clinic Association
- Carle Foundation Hospital
- Champaign School Districts
- Kraft Foods
- Parkland College
- Provena Covenant Medical Center
- Christie Clinic P.C.
- Kirby Foods Inc
- Jeld-Wen
- Devonshire Group LLC
- Bartlett Management Services Inc
- City of Champaign
- Health Alliance Medical Plans
- Tri Star Marketing
- Walmart
- Health Alliance Medical Plans
- Horizon Hobby Inc
- News-Gazette
- Human Kinetics
- Conair
- Hobbico
Some of the jobs more prevalent in Champaign than most of the nation's other cities include cooks, physical scientists; education, training and library workers; machinery maintenance workers, managers, community and social service specialists, editors; and medical and clinical laboratory technicians.
A list of the major employment sectors is shown below:
- Education
- Healthcare
- Technology and software
- Accommodation and food services
- Government
- Construction
- Finance and insurance
Noteworthy information about Champaign: In 2008 the cost of living index was 84 which is less than the national average of 100. The estimated median household income in Champaign in 2007 was $35,000. Regarding the population over the age of 25, approximately 44% have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Champaign companies are provided assistance by business organizations including:
- Champaign County Chamber of Commerce
- Champaign County Economic Development Corporation
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
The News-Gazette offers up-to-date information regarding the business activities in Champaign.