Prairie State Wire

Former U.S. Senate candidate Mark Curran raged that Springfield is doing the one thing the state can least afford to in the struggle to re-establish its tattered reputation.

“This is all about economics,” Curran told the Prairie State Wire of the state’s steadily declining population. “All the people leaving have done so because of high taxes, and all you hear about is how we want to raise taxes even more. We already don’t have the climate to attract people, and making the economy worse with higher taxes will only drive more people out.”

As it is, Illinois already stands as one of four states to lose population over the last decade, with the latest U.S. Census Bureau data pegging the decline at approximately 170,000 residents. Of the state’s 102 counties, 93 have also suffered a decline over that time, topped by Cook County at nearly 49,000 people.

Finally, at least 10 counties have lost upward of 5,000 people over that time, prompting Curran to worry things may get worse before they get better.  

“There’s nothing being done now in Springfield to change the trend,” he said. “We need to stop all the spending and taxing to turn things around. My Lake County is one of the worse of all.”

A deeper dive into the numbers highlights how the departure has hit downstate counties hard. The region has lost 144,000 residents or 3.2% of its 2010 population over the same time period. Also, data shows the losses in Cook County represent the second-worst losses of residents in any country across the country, with only Wayne County in Michigan losing more people.

Curran fears what comes next, barring a drastic change of direction in Springfield.

“We will continue to lose industry and population to the point Chicago may come to look like Detroit or one of those old towns that just dies and all you see going on are the vacancies with little going on outside an increase in crime and poverty,” he said.