CHICAGO (June 21, 2018) – The state of Illinois has suffered population losses for four consecutive years and a new analysis from the Illinois Policy Institute reveals the leading cause: prime working-age Illinoisans are leaving for better opportunities.

Illinois’ prime working-age population declined by 41,000 from July 2016 to July 2017, even while the U.S. prime working-age population grew by nearly 450,000 over the same time period, according to new Illinois Policy Institute analysis of demographic data released today from the U.S. Census Bureau.

On top of that, Illinois saw weaker population growth than the rest of the nation in every prime working-age population cohort overall (ages 25 to 29, 30 to 34, 35 to 39, 40 to 44, 45 to 49 and 50 to 54).

“Illinois is losing its workforce to other states because of its bad economic policies. A shrinking workforce has serious implications for the long-term health of our state’s economy,” said Orphe Divounguy, chief economist at the Illinois Policy Institute. “The state should be focused on making it an appealing decision for working-age people and young families to plant roots in Illinois through policies that will reduce the cost of doing business and improve living standards.”

Other highlights from the Census report:

• Since 2010, Illinois saw weaker population growth in every working-age population cohort compared to the rest of the nation. The most severe divergence was in ages 25 to 29, which grew 1.5 percent nationally but shrank in Illinois.
• Illinois’ future workforce is also at risk. Illinois’ population ages 0-14 shrank by 1 percent over the year, but that population saw a small increase nationally.
• Since 2010, the segment to see the most growth in Illinois has been ages 55 and older, which added 509,000 Illinoisans.

For bookings or interviews, contact Melanie Krakauer at media@illinoispolicy.org or (312) 607-4977.