6 months, 2 weeks ago by Scott Hardy
Demographics of state's residents are changing, according to Illinois Economic Policy Institute
A study released Tuesday says that Illinois's population over the past 10 to 15 years has been mostly stable, and that the demographic makeup of residents is changing.
An analysis of current population survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Illinois Department of Revenue data shows that Illinois isn't suffering a mass exodus. Researchers at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that Illinois’ population has been stable over the last decade. They say that's been driven by growth in the Chicago metropolitan area. The study also says that, as a whole, the state is becoming less rural, more educated, more foreign-born, more Hispanic, and higher-paid. Other results from the study show that people who have moved into Illinois are better educated and more likely to arrive for college, and that claims that high taxes or the estate tax are the primary reasons why people move out of state or that high-income earners are moving out of state in higher numbers aren't true.
The official Census count showed that Illinois had just over 12.8 million residents in 2020, a decline of about 18 thousand residents over the decade. A post-Census review subsequently found that Illinois’ population was likely undercounted by 2%, meaning that the state actually had around 13 million residents in 2020. The study is available below.
