Chicago 2050 is World Business Chicago's long-term economic strategy for the region — a bold, data-driven roadmap built to strengthen Chicagoland's competitiveness, grow good jobs, and ensure inclusive prosperity for decades to come. The goal: grow the regional economy to $1.4 trillion in annual output and 5.05 million jobs by 2034, keeping Chicagoland among the world's top 20 economies and the top three in the U.S.
The plan unfolds in two chapters. Chapter 1, published in 2025, is a five-year tactical roadmap grounded in economic data, focused on priority industries like manufacturing, transportation and logistics, life sciences, finance, and digital tech and AI, alongside emerging bets like clean energy and quantum.
Chapter 2, Horizon Lines, launched in 2026, takes a 25-year view, inviting designers, planners, innovators, and community leaders to shape the region's physical, economic, and civic future.
Developed with civic, business, labor, academic, and government leaders — and aligned across the city of Chicago and seven Chicagoland counties through the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership — Chicago 2050 reflects the region's greatest advantage: collaboration. It's built to be used, whether you're evaluating expansion, shaping workforce strategy, or making the case for Chicago within your own organization.