Chicago and other urban areas in Illinois gained people compared to the rural areas, with 87 of 102 counties losing people in the 2020 U.S. Census.

Census estimates predict nearly all Illinois municipalities shed population last year, with a greater share of large communities being affected.

Each of Illinois’ metropolitan areas got smaller from July 2019-July 2020, census estimates showed.

Census estimates tallied population decline in 98 of Illinois’ 102 counties. Only Los Angeles County lost more people than Cook County last year.

New data showed domestic migration continued to be the only reason for Illinois’ population decline.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker inaccurately identified students leaving for college as the reason for Illinois’ population decline. Illinoisans between the ages of 26 and 54 made up 64.5% of the net decline in population from 2017-2018, the most recent year of available data.