Nearly 125,000 Illinoisans Went Looking For A New State To Live In
Illinois isn’t alone in losing people to other states, it’s just that we’re losing so many more than any of our Midwestern neighbors. Illinois’ loss of 122,460 residents dwarfs Minnesota’s loss of 13,453, and Michigan’s 7,893.
Wisconsin gained around 3300 people, Iowa added 833, but Missouri (14,861), Indiana (14,280), and Kentucky (10,022) are the Midwestern states that added some pretty big numbers.
Source: Every 4 Minutes And 18 Seconds, Someone In Illinois Moves Out
In 2019, ten states saw population losses. Those that gained population saw gains due to:
- in bound migration from states losing population
- births – deaths is large, as in North Dakota and a few other states
- Immigration from outside the U.S., both through legal and not legal means.
Economic reasons – taxes and cost of living – seem to be motivators in why many leave one state for another. A related economic reason may be low incomes and fewer opportunities than available in other states.
