When voting concludes on Tuesday, there will be fewer Illinoisans voting than in past elections. That’s not because there isn’t interest in who will be our next president, or in down-ballot contests.
It’s because another 93,247 residents left the Land of Lincoln last year. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 297,005 of our friends and neighbors left for other states last year; while 203,758 residents moved into Illinois from other states.
My meager math skills tell me that’s a net loss of 93,247 people. Despite that, the government and the number of employees needed to run it have not shrunk.
During the runup to the election, little has been said by candidates seeking statehouse or Lake County Board seats on how to address the continuing exodus from Illinois. We’ve heard lots of rhetoric about “extreme” views of candidates on various topics, but when it comes to what is driving Illinoisans out of state, mere snippets.
This should be a worrisome trend for those who enact laws and make policy decisions. Apparently it is not.
Our latest population losses are on top of the 116,000 Illinoisans who bolted in 2022, and the 141,000 who fled in 2021. In 2023, Illinois’ losses were the nation’s third-worst, only behind California and New York which saw net losses of 268,052 and 178,709, respectively, according to census data.
Illinois political leaders have been in denial for years over fewer residents calling the Prairie State home. Even after the 2020 decennial census, when we lost another congressional seat, dropping our representation in the U.S. House to 17.
Compared to other political issues roiling around Illinois, this loss of population may not be a big deal to some. But fewer people means less representation in Congress, scarce federal tax dollars returning to the state, fewer job opportunities and fewer people paying more of some of the highest taxes in the nation.
It also means a smaller electorate makes decisions for all of us. It leaves us with a reduced number of Electoral College votes — which is the number of House members, plus senators.
Demographers call what is happening to Illinois across cultural and ethnic lines migration outflow. And it’s occurring consistently. Perhaps one reason for this out-migration is jobless data.
Last month, the state’s unemployment rate — 5.3% — was tied with California for the second-highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That rate may rise with the announcement this week that 200 jobs will be lost with the abrupt closure of the PepsiCo plant on Chicago’s South Side, along with an untold number of layoffs at Deerfield-based Walgreens.
That jobless rate is higher than the national unemployment rate of 4.1%, which some economists consider to be near full employment. It also is greater than our neighboring states, for instance our neighbor to the north.
Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is 2.9% and one of the lowest in the country. It has seen increased job and wage growth that has out-paced inflation, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
In some regions of America’s Dairyland, there are more jobs than workers. Illinoisans driving north on Interstate 94 past acres of new construction for office buildings, research facilities, logistic centers and housing, should feel something isn’t right in their home state.
Wisconsin is one of the states luring Illinoisans who want to remain close to the Chicago region. The Badger State tallied 27,109 residents of Illinois moving north.
It was the third-favorite state last year for outbound Illinoisans, according to census data. Indiana led the pack with 29,426 moving there; followed by Florida, 27,109; Texas, 24,181; and California, 21,982.
Nationwide, Texas, with 133,372, and Florida, with 126,008, were the largest net population winners, according to census figures. Florida’s penchant for destructive hurricanes, however, may dint their future move-ins.
Missouri, another state abutting Illinois, has seen thousands leaving. Yet, its population has remained static as, surprisingly, inbound movers have outpaced outbound movers.
Migration trends showed more people left Illinois for Missouri, 15,326, last year as opposed to leaving Missouri for Illinois 14,982. What’s that say about Illinois, when residents decide to uproot and head to the Show-Me State?
Not only are retirees moving out of Illinois, it also is young people. Those raised here who opt for out-of-state college and university educations seem to relish their new surroundings.
In the past, Illinois collegians would attend schools in other states and return home after graduation to careers and more. That is no longer the case. New opportunities are available to them in what have become their new home states.
Perhaps after the votes are tallied after Tuesday’s election, Illinois political leaders will take a close look at what is happening with out-migration and begin a movement to stop the outflow. If not, there will be less of us voting in future years.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
sellenews@gmail.com
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