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Axios What's Next

Data: GasBuddy; Note: Price as of the 1st of each month; Chart: Axios Visuals

A gallon of regular gas cost $4.25 on average across the Chicago metro as of Aug. 1, per GasBuddy.

That's down 9.5% from August 2022, but far higher than the nationwide average of $3.76, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.

The big picture: Nationally gas prices are up a bit from winter months — as expected, based on historical patterns — but lower than last year's highs of nearly $5.

Yes, but: Recent rises were driven by excessive heat in Gulf states like Texas and Louisiana, where many U.S. oil refineries are located.

"Refineries, which turn crude oil into products like gasoline, don't function as efficiently in 100+ degree weather," Axios' Emily Peck reports.

What's next: All eyes are on hurricane season, as severe storms can further disrupt refineries — thus reducing supply and raising prices.

Saudi Arabia's continued oil production cut also stands to increase energy prices.

Chicago gas prices rising again

The national rise is driven in part by excessive heat in Gulf states, where many of the country's oil refineries are located.

Hub Data - All

A gallon of regular gas cost $4.25 on average across the Chicago metro as of Aug. 1, per GasBuddy.<ul><li>That&#x27;s down 9.5% from August 2022, but far higher than the nationwide average of $3.76, Axios&#x27; Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.</li></ul>

News

Data: David Riedman, K-12 School Shooting Database; Note: Firearm incident defined as when a gun is brandished with intent to shoot or fired, or when a bullet hits school property; Chart: Axios Visuals

K-12 schools in the U.S. saw 1,468 firearm incidents in the decade ending in 2023, a 324% increase from the prior decade's 346 incidents.

In Illinois, there were 145 incidents, ranking us fourth behind California, Texas and Florida.

That's per the K-12 School Shooting Database, an open-source research project attempting to quantify gun incidents at grade schools.

How it works: The group defines "incidents" as instances when a gun is fired or brandished with intent to shoot, or when a bullet hits school property.

The latest: 111 incidents have occurred nationwide so far this year, as of April 29, with five of them in Illinois. 

The big picture: Absent significant gun reform, schools are increasingly turning to other measures to protect kids, ranging from rules requiring see-through backpacks to issuing teachers "panic buttons" and hiring armed guards.

Between the lines: Nearly a quarter of K-12 teachers experienced a gun lockdown last year, Axios' Jennifer Kingson reports.

Even still, some parents, teachers and administrators are reconsidering the post-Columbine emphasis on lockdown drills, which some say may be causing kids undue mental trauma.

Gun incidents at Illinois schools skyrocket

2023 was a terrible year for gun incidents at local schools.

Chart showing gun incidents increasing over time 

K-12 schools in the U.S. saw 1,468 firearm incidents in the decade ending in 2023, a 324% increase from the prior decade&#x27;s 346 incidents.<ul><li>In Illinois, there were 145 incidents, ranking us fourth behind California, Texas and Florida.</li></ul>

Education

Data: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via UC Berkeley; Note: Arrests were counted even if they did not lead to detainment; Multiple arrests of the same individual were counted separately; Chart: Axios Visuals

ICE arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions have soared nationwide, including in Illinois, per data compiled by the Deportation Data Project at the UC Berkeley School of Law.

Why it matters: The surge came after the Trump administration tripled U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's arrest quota, and marks a major shift from the president's pledge to target the "worst of the worst."

By the numbers: In January, ICE arrested 160 people in Illinois, of whom 31% had no criminal charge, an Axios analysis found.

By June, 61% of the 333 people ICE arrested in the state had no criminal charge.

What they're saying: "This disturbing data trend reflects what we've been hearing on the community level and on our hotline: that ICE under the Trump administration is expanding their operations and attacking our families at a rate we haven't seen before," Brandon Lee, communications director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, tells Axios.

The big picture: Nationally, people without criminal charges or convictions averaged 47% of daily arrests in early June — up from about 21% a month prior, before the quota increase, according to Deportation Data Project figures.

The bottom line: The Trump administration is casting a far wider net than initially promised — and Illinois and Chicago are facing increased enforcement as a result.

Go deeper: Noncriminal ICE arrests spiked in June

ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois

New data shows that immigration enforcement is arresting more noncriminals.

A chart that shows ICE arrests in Illinois by criminal status with wavy lines showing the difference between months. 

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ICE arrests" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/06/12/mapped-ice-detentions-in-colorado" data-vars-content-id="74364781-df61-4481-af33-3857109fca8e" data-vars-headline="ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/06/12/mapped-ice-detentions-in-colorado" target="_self">ICE arrests</a> of people without criminal charges or convictions have soared nationwide, including in Illinois, per data compiled by the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Deportation Data Project" data-vars-click-url="https://deportationdata.org/data/ice.html" data-vars-content-id="74364781-df61-4481-af33-3857109fca8e" data-vars-headline="ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://deportationdata.org/data/ice.html" target="_blank">Deportation Data Project</a> at the UC Berkeley School of Law.Why it matters: The surge came after the Trump administration tripled U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="arrest quota" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/immigration-ice-deportations-stephen-miller" data-vars-content-id="74364781-df61-4481-af33-3857109fca8e" data-vars-headline="ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/immigration-ice-deportations-stephen-miller" target="_self">arrest quota</a>, and marks a major shift from the president&#x27;s pledge to target the &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="worst of the worst" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-immigration-crime-ice-criminal-dangerous-violent-99557d9d68642004193a9f4b7668162e" data-vars-content-id="74364781-df61-4481-af33-3857109fca8e" data-vars-headline="ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-immigration-crime-ice-criminal-dangerous-violent-99557d9d68642004193a9f4b7668162e" target="_blank">worst of the worst</a>.&quot;

Politics

Public Safety

Chicago's downtown visitors increased by 35% from March 2023 to February 2024, according to new University of Toronto data.

Why it matters: It's a sign of improvement for downtown's sluggish post-pandemic recovery.

The big picture: Among the dozens of North American cities studied, most saw a visitor boost, but Chicago's increase was the second-largest.

Data: University of Toronto; Note: Downtown defined as the central location with the highest concentration of employment in each metro area; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios

How it works: The researchers used anonymized mobile device location data to estimate visitor activity in metro downtowns defined as areas with the highest job concentration.

Zoom in: Our biggest visitor bumps happened in June and July, when Taylor Swift, Beyonce, NASCAR and other big draws hit town.

Meanwhile, weekend foot traffic in the Loop has surpassed 2019 levels for the first time, according to a recent Loop Alliance analysis.

The analysis used first-quarter data counts of silhouettes along State Street from Ida B. Wells to Wacker Drive.

Yes, but: Weekday foot traffic from 6am to 5pm reached only 91% of pre-pandemic activity. 

Visitors are returning to Chicago's downtown

Visits rose by 35% in the last year and weekend Loop foot traffic has surpassed pre-COVID levels.

A view of State Street in April 2024. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios

Chicago&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="downtown visitors" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/25/us-cities-downtown-data" data-vars-content-id="7f73a3b0-0d1c-41fb-9704-f1bbf24591c4" data-vars-headline="Visitors are returning to Chicago&#x27;s downtown" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/25/us-cities-downtown-data" target="_self">downtown visitors</a> increased by 35% from March 2023 to February 2024, according to new University of Toronto data.Why it matters: It&#x27;s a sign of improvement for downtown&#x27;s sluggish post-pandemic recovery.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Real Estate

COVID

Data: UrbanSitter; Note: Metro areas sorted by average rate for 2 children; Chart: Axios Visuals 

If you're looking for a babysitter in Chicago, you're in for a cheaper night than parents in many other cities.

Driving the news: A recent report from UrbanSitter breaks down the hourly rate of sitters for one child and two children in cities across the U.S.

The bad news: Average babysitting rates rose nearly 5% last year, hitting $26.24 per hour for one child and nearly $30/hour on average for two kids.

The good news (for Chicago): The Babysitter's Club will cost you about $22 and nearly $26 for one and two kids, respectively. 

Zoom out: Rates tend to be higher in places with steeper costs of living.

San Francisco ($29.63/hour for one kid) and Seattle ($27.70/hr) have some of the highest rates in UrbanSitter's report.

How much a babysitter will cost you in Chicago

Data shows Chicago parents pay less per hour than families in cities like SF and Seattle.

Chart describing average babysitting rates in 2025

If you&#x27;re looking for a babysitter in Chicago, you&#x27;re in for a cheaper night than parents in many other cities.

Money

Parenting

Axios New Orleans

New Orleans loves St. Patrick's Day, but it's not very Irish

New Orleans

Choropelth map showing U.S. Irish ancestry by county, as a 2020-2024 average. The national average was 9.4%. Nearly every county in  New England and New York reported above 12%. Southern states had  the least, with places like El Paso County, Texas with 2.2%.

Share of people reporting Irish ancestry ☘️ 

Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Map: Axios Visuals

Axios Pittsburgh

🇮🇪 Mapped: Our Irish roots

Pittsburgh

Average babysitting rates in 2025

Axios Hill Leaders

MAP: See where a blue wave would swipe the most GOP seats

National

A cartogram of U.S. congressional districts showing how party overperformance and redistricting could affect the 2026 midterms.

2025-12-19-dem-overperformance

Data: The Downballot and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

Veterans Day events planned in New Orleans

A choropleth map of U.S. states showing the estimated share of adult civilians who are veterans in 2024. Nationally, 5.9% of adults are veterans. The share is highest in Alaska, with 9.9%, and lowest in D.C., with 3.1%.

Kavya Beheraj

Featured stories

New Orleans loves St. Patrick's Day, but it's not very Irish

🇮🇪 Mapped: Our Irish roots

How much a babysitter will cost you in Chicago

MAP: See where a blue wave would swipe the most GOP seats

Veterans Day events planned in New Orleans