Flag of Illinois

What the flag looks like

A white field with the state seal, a bald eagle on a rock holding a stars-and-stripes shield and a red banner, with the sun rising behind it and ILLINOIS in blue beneath.

What it means

The banner carries the motto "State Sovereignty, National Union"; the dates 1818 and 1868 on the rock are the years of statehood and of the seal's redesign.

How to remember it

Illinois has a white field, not blue, with a bald eagle perched on a rock and ILLINOIS spelled out underneath.

Fun facts

• The word ILLINOIS was added in 1970 after a sailor from the state, serving in Vietnam, complained that no one recognized the flag.
• In a 2025 public vote on possible redesigns, the current flag came first with about 43 percent of nearly 385,000 votes.

Illinois at a glance

Nickname

The Prairie State

Statehood

1818

Capital

Springfield

Region

East North Central

Population

13 million

Area

149,995 km²

Flag adopted

1970

Flags often confused with Illinois

• Massachusetts: Illinois and Massachusetts are both a seal-style emblem on white. Illinois shows a bald eagle on a rock with ILLINOIS beneath; Massachusetts shows a blue shield with a Native American figure and no state name.