World Business Chicago tracks indicators from month to month to gauge the strength of several aspects of Chicago’s economy, including employment in major sectors, residential and office real estate data, price and purchasing indexes, and freight demand.

Key trends include:

• Air cargo tonnage increased by 14.8% YOY, from 140,965 in May 2016 to 161,818 in May 2017.

• Illinois export value increased by 12.4% YOY, from $4.8B in May 2016 to $5.4 in May 2017.

• The number of patents issued in the City of Chicago increased by 14.9% in June 2017. 162 patents were issued in June 2017, compared to 141 patents in June 2016.

• The Chicago Business Barometer (Purchasing Managers Index) increased by 15.7% from 56.8 in June 2016 to 65.7 in June 2017. June 2017’s Business Barometer is also the highest rate the city has seen in over two years.

These and other trends are illustrated in this month’s Chicago by the Numbers.