New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau present Illinois misplaced population from 2021 to 2022, persevering with a nine-year population slide within the Land of Lincoln.
The report discovered Illinois subtracted greater than 104,000 from its ranks this 12 months going from 12.6 million to 12.5 million residents. The population lack of 0.8% was the third-highest fee behind New York and California and was among the many 18 states that misplaced population this 12 months. Driving that loss primarily was the 141,656 individuals migrating out of the state.
The remainder of the Midwest additionally reported a population lack of almost 50,000 residents, however neighboring states of Indiana and Wisconsin did develop in 2022. Ohio and Michigan additionally misplaced population though not almost on the fee of Illinois.
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Previous population loss within the state between 2010 and 2020 led to Illinois losing a congressional seat and was the primary time in its 200-plus 12 months historical past that the Census reported a population discount. This occurred regardless of Chicago gaining greater than 50,000 residents, whereas smaller cities like Springfield, Peoria, and Rockford all reported population loss over the prior decade.
Since 1930, the state has misplaced 10 seats within the U.S. House of Representatives.
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In May, the census estimated that the population of Illinois was undercounted by almost 2 % in the course of the 2020 Census and could have truly grown by greater than 250,000 residents since 2010.
But each units of numbers ought to be seen with warning. The May figures got here with a margin of error whereas the figures launched this month should not an precise depend however estimates primarily based on third-party knowledge from the IRS, Medicare and keepers of important statistics, the Chicago Tribune reported.
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Overall, the U.S. added greater than 1.2 million residents from 2021 to 2022 to succeed in a population of 333,287,557. A big cause, the Census Bureau mentioned, for that improve is worldwide migration returning to related ranges seen earlier than COVID-19. Birth charges additionally outpaced deaths this 12 months by greater than 245,000.
“It’s welcome because we would have been back to almost flatline growth if not for this immigration,” mentioned William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution.
The Associate Press contributed.
![The sun rises over the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Wednesday, October 20, 2021. The state is the top employer in Sangamon County. [Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register]](http://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/10/20/NSJR/f0c2e39f-8820-4dc6-8a2e-a13ff3ad97e8-ILSPR-10202021-PHOTO-Statehouse-11.jpg?width=660&height=430&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)