Gov. J.B. Pritzker told Crain’s Chicago Business, “Illinois is back.” But with a long list of state and local fiscal and economic problems, that is more spin than reality.

State-to-state migration estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau showed Illinois lost residents to 36 states and Washington, D.C. Nearly all the former Illinoisans moved to lower-tax states.

94,344 residents moved out of Cook County, the sole reason for 2022 population decline.

As Illinois pushes for more renewable energy, it comes with a fire hazard risk at battery storage centers. A battery storage facility explosion in Arizona hurt eight firefighters. There have been three other fires.

New Census Bureau data shows people moving out of Illinois continues to drive the state’s population decline. So many moved away in the year before July 2022, it was almost like Rockford disappearing.