From Wirepoints:

Fewer immigrants, fewer babies and fleeing residents –Wirepoints’ new report covers Illinois’ demographic decline

CHICAGO (3/14/19) – Since the turn of the century, Illinois has been in the midst of a perfect demographic storm.

Residents are leaving the state in record numbers.

The number of Americans moving into Illinois has hit new lows.

Net foreign immigration has fallen by half.

And the number of births has dropped by more than 20 percent.

Residents are leaving the state in record numbers.

The number of Americans moving into Illinois has hit new lows.

Net foreign immigration has fallen by half. And the number of births has dropped by more than 20 percent.

Those demographic forces have all combined into a single troubling fact:

Illinois is shrinking.

The state lost population in 2014 and has done so every year since then. 

Illinois is an outlier in population loss.

Other states that make up the Rust Belt have not shared in Illinois’ clear demographic decline.

They are still growing on an absolute, percentage and per capita basis. Illinois is not.

Wirepoints has analyzed Illinois’ demographics over the past 18 years, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division and American Community Survey, as well as migration data from the IRS. 

Read the full report here: https://wirepoints.org/illinois-demographic-collapse-fewer-immigrants-fewer-babies-and-fleeing-residents-wirepoints-special-report/

The paper’s findings include:

• Illinois ranked 48th nationally (1st is best) in net out-migration per 1,000 residents in 2018. The state lost a net 9 people per 1,000 in population, compared to just 5.6 people in 2001. Only New York and Alaska fared worse in 2018.
• Illinois has experienced a net out-migration loss of 1.4 million residents to other states since 2001. That’s the equivalent of 11.2 percent of Illinois’ 2001 population. Only New York fared worse nationally over that time period.
• The number of Illinoisans leaving the state hit 345,000 in 2016, a high since 2001. That loss has been compounded by a record low number of Americans moving into Illinois.
• The total number of Illinois births fell to 148,000 in 2018, a 20 percent drop compared to 2001. Illinois’ national ranking in births per capita dropped to 30th in 2018 from 12th in 2001. Millennial flight is likely to have contributed to the drop in births in recent years, as a net of 107,000 millennials and their dependents left the state from 2012-2016.
• Net international immigration has fallen by half since 2001, from a net 60,000 inflow to just 30,000 in 2018. In 2001, Illinois ranked 8th best in international immigration. By 2018, it had fallen to 20th.

“The story the data tells is simple: every negative demographic trend that can hit Illinois has done so – and more so than in most other states,” said Ted Dabrowski, President of Wirepoints.

“Illinoisans are leaving in record numbers. Fewer people want to come here. Our birth rate is down significantly, as millennials are also fleeing. Even international immigration has dropped by half.

“All of the state’s woes are captured in one sad statistic: Illinois is shrinking.”

“Illinois’ poor governance, collapsed finances, massive debts and high taxation have created a severe problem for Illinoisans.

“Without spending and structural reforms that make the state more competitive, Illinois will be trapped in a downward spiral.

“One where growing government debts and higher taxes will fall on a continuously shrinking population.

“Illinois politicians need to do the exact opposite of what they’ve done over the past three decades.”

Ted Dabrowski, President at Wirepoints, and Mark Glennon, Founder and Executive Editor at Wirepoints, are both available for interviews.

For the full report on Wirepoints’ website: https://wirepoints.org/illinois-demographic-collapse-fewer-immigrants-fewer-babies-and-fleeing-residents-wirepoints-special-report/