CHICAGO (March 23, 2017) – This morning the U.S. Census Bureau released new data that show Cook County’s population shrank more than any other county in the nation between July 2015 and July 2016. Cook County’s population dropped by 21,324 – a loss nearly three times greater than the second highest population-loss county in the U.S., Wayne County in Michigan.
The Census data show the population drop is driven by massive out-migration from Illinois. Cook County had a net loss of 66,244 people to other parts of the U.S. But the people moving out of Cook County did not cause the collar counties to grow. Every collar county also lost on net migration to other parts of the U.S. DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry and Will counties all posted net out-migration in the thousands in this morning’s data release. Of the state’s 102 counties, 93 had net out-migration and 89 are shrinking in total population.
“Walking around downtown Chicago and on Michigan Avenue, the city of Chicago seems like a thriving metropolis,” said Illinois Policy Institute Vice President of Policy Michael Lucci. “However, these data show that the Chicago area is losing people at an alarming rate. Chicago has growth in the central business district, but other areas are depopulating faster than the business core is growing. It’s also important to remember that all of this out-migration from the Chicago area occurred before numerous local tax hikes phased in completely, which means the city’s population loss is likely to get even worse.”
In December 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the state of Illinois suffered the steepest population decline in the nation. Between July 2015 and July 2016, the state lost 114,144 residents to other states on net.
###
For bookings or interviews: Diana Rickert or Meghan Keenan, media@illinoispolicy.org or (312) 346-5700