Chicago lost 8,208 residents in 2023, the third-largest decline of any city in the nation. At this rate, the Second City will drop from No. 3 to No. 4 by 2035

Job gains in Illinois’ metropolitan areas were off to a slow start in 2024. Six areas remain behind where they were before the pandemic.

Illinois employment growth lagged the nation and neighboring states in March 2024. Unemployment was third highest in the U.S.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has moved on from his failed tax hike and found a good answer to Chicago’s housing affordability issue. His “Cut the Tape” proposal would streamline the housing and commercial development process, increasing the supply and affordability.

10 of the 13 Illinois metro areas added jobs from January 2024 to February 2024, led by the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area. Five still reported fewer jobs than prior to the pandemic.

Illinois’ unemployment rate tied for 3rd worst in the nation in February 2024 after a decline in the number of jobs statewide during the past 12 months. Illinois continues to lag the nation and all its neighbors in job growth.

While Cook County experienced the largest decline, less-populous Illinois counties were losing people at the fastest rate last year.

Illinois’ population decline crisis has now spread to every major metropolitan area in the state. Chicago continued losing residents in 2023.