(Photo By Flickr User USDAgov)

Illinois officials say this year's state fair had the highest attendance levels in more than over a decade.

According to the State-Journal Register (Springfield, IL news paper), the governor's office said on early Thursday morning, that more than 961,000 people attended the state fair during its 11-day run this month.

This state fair attendance is almost up 5 percent from 2012 and the highest since 2002, when 1.2 million people went through the fair's gates.

Ticket sales for concerts at the fair's Grandstand topped $2 million, up more than 30 percent from 2012 to a new record. More than 53,000 fans attended concerts at this year's fair. The most popular performances were by country musician Toby Keith and rock group Journey.

The state fair ended this past Sunday.