I'm really confused by this.
So, to be clear, you are saying that Illinois is in a much stronger position economically than Indiana or Wisconsin? I think if you're going to make that claim you probably need to provide some data that explains how it was arrived at. Having lived in IN all my life and worked in IL for over 15 years, I think the "real world" might actually disagree with you. As of a couple years ago when I left, IL was billions in the hole, had massive budget deficits, unfunded liabilities (read: pensions) with no hope of ever being paid for, infrastructure that was either falling apart or being sold off, a laundry list of contractors and vendors threatening to sue because the state couldn't pay for services rendered and massive population exodus. Indiana at the same time had a budget surplus, population growth (largely from people and businesses fleeing IL) and was making plans for serious infrastructure improvements. Even Gary was making a comeback. The only blip I can recall in IN economics was when the steel industry faltered and Bethlehem quit paying their taxes. That situation largely sorted itself out, though.
I can't speak specifically to the state of Wisconsin's economy since I can usually find local places to get cheese, but IL has been teetering on the brink of bankruptcy for years.