A small town in Illinois is offering

 people $5,000 to move there to help plug its labor

 shortage. Its mayor says the

 streets are lined with 'help-wanted' signs.

A small town in Illinois is offering people $5,000 to move there to help plug its labor shortage. Its mayor says the streets are lined with 'help-wanted' signs.

Grace Dean

Fri, September 10, 2021, 7:14 PM·4 min read

Quincy has a population of about 40,000. Quincy's Calling

• Quincy, Illinois, is offering people up to $5,000 in property-tax rebates to move there.

• The town, which lies on the border with Missouri, hopes this will help plug its worker shortage.

• It has more than 700 vacancies for full-time jobs in "virtually every segment," its mayor said.

• See more stories on Insider's business page.

A town in Illinois suffering from a huge labor shortage is offering people up $5,000 to move there.

Quincy has more than 700 vacancies for full-time jobs in "virtually every segment," Mayor Mike Troup told Insider.

"I don't know that you could find a business in our community ... that doesn't have a 'help-wanted' sign in the front door," Troup said. "There's a tremendous need."

Quincy Mayor Mike Troup was born and raised in the town. Quincy's Calling

Quincy lies on Illinois' border with Missouri and is about 100 miles from St Louis and 300 miles from Chicago. It has a population of about 40,000, which local officials hope to grow to 45,000 by 2030.

Troup, who was born and raised in the town, said that the local economy was strong but that as businesses expanded, "we just haven't grown the population base" to fill their roles.

Illinois had the third-largest population drop in the 2020 census, behind Puerto Rico and West Virginia.

Troup said businesses in Quincy offered competitive wages but the costs of relocating may still be putting people off from getting jobs in the area.

So the town's council approved the Quincy Workforce Relocation Assistance Program (Q-WRAP) last month. People who move to Quincy from outside Adams County and get jobs within the county can get a property-tax rebate of up to $5,000 after one year of residency and employment. Alternatively, they can get a rental rebate of up to $3,500 after six months of residency.

Remote workers who relocate to Quincy are also eligible.

During its pilot, Q-WRAP benefits will be awarded to the first 25 eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. The town is also giving $250 in restaurant vouchers to local residents who 

successfully encourage people to relocate to Quincy.