Prairie State Wire

Illinois’ population dropped by 18,124 from 2010 to 2020, a reduction of 0.1 percent, according to new data released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Illinois was one of only three states with declining populations during that time period, the Census Bureau reported. Mississippi lost 6,018 for a decline of 0.2 percent, while West Virginia’s population dropped 59,278, or 3.2 percent, the study found. 

Puerto Rico, meanwhile, lost 11.8 percent of its population over that decade, a share that amounted to nearly 440,000 people, the Census Bureau said.

Illinois’ population as of 2020 stood at 12,812,508, down from 12,830,632 a decade earlier, the federal agency reported. 

Nationwide, the population grew by 7.4 percent, with the South and West growing faster than other U.S. regions. That represented the slowest decade-long population growth since the Great Depression during the 1930s, according to the preliminary analysis of 2020 census figures.

Texas had the biggest numerical growth over that period, adding 4 million people for a 15.9 percent gain, the study said. And the state with the fastest-growing population was Utah, whose populace increased by 18.4 percent over the 10-year period.

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Change in State Populations From 2010 to 2020

State / Territory	Census Count in 2010	Census Count in 2020	Difference (2010 vs. 2020)	% Change (2010 vs. 2020)
Alabama	4,779,736	5,024,279	244,543	5.1%
Alaska	710,231	733,391	23,160	3.3%
Arizona	6,392,017	7,151,502	759,485	11.9%
Arkansas	2,915,918	3,011,524	95,606	3.3%
California	37,253,956	39,538,223	2,284,267	6.1%
Colorado	5,029,196	5,773,714	744,518	14.8%
Connecticut	3,574,097	3,605,944	31,847	0.9%
Delaware	897,934	989,948	92,014	10.2%
District of Columbia	601,723	689,545	87,822	14.6%
Florida	18,801,310	21,538,187	2,736,877	14.6%
Georgia	9,687,653	10,711,908	1,024,255	10.6%
Hawaii	1,360,301	1,455,271	94,970	7.0%
Idaho	1,567,582	1,839,106	271,524	17.3%
Illinois	12,830,632	12,812,508	-18,124	-0.1%
Indiana	6,483,802	6,785,528	301,726	4.7%
Iowa	3,046,355	3,190,369	144,014	4.7%
Kansas	2,853,118	2,937,880	84,762	3.0%
Kentucky	4,339,367	4,505,836	166,469	3.8%
Louisiana	4,533,372	4,657,757	124,385	2.7%
Maine	1,328,361	1,362,359	33,998	2.6%
Maryland	5,773,552	6,177,224	403,672	7.0%
Massachusetts	6,547,629	7,029,917	482,288	7.4%
Michigan	9,883,640	10,077,331	193,691	2.0%
Minnesota	5,303,925	5,706,494	402,569	7.6%
Mississippi	2,967,297	2,961,279	-6,018	-0.2%
Missouri	5,988,927	6,154,913	165,986	2.8%
Montana	989,415	1,084,225	94,810	9.6%
Nebraska	1,826,341	1,961,504	135,163	7.4%
Nevada	2,700,551	3,104,614	404,063	15.0%
New Hampshire	1,316,470	1,377,529	61,059	4.6%
New Jersey	8,791,894	9,288,994	497,100	5.7%
New Mexico	2,059,179	2,117,522	58,343	2.8%
New York	19,378,102	20,201,249	823,147	4.2%
North Carolina	9,535,483	10,439,388	903,905	9.5%
North Dakota	672,591	779,094	106,503	15.8%
Ohio	11,536,504	11,799,448	262,944	2.3%
Oklahoma	3,751,351	3,959,353	208,002	5.5%
Oregon	3,831,074	4,237,256	406,182	10.6%
Pennsylvania	12,702,379	13,002,700	300,321	2.4%
Rhode Island	1,052,567	1,097,379	44,812	4.3%
South Carolina	4,625,364	5,118,425	493,061	10.7%
South Dakota	814,180	886,667	72,487	8.9%
Tennessee	6,346,105	6,910,840	564,735	8.9%
Texas	25,145,561	29,145,505	3,999,944	15.9%
Utah	2,763,885	3,271,616	507,731	18.4%
Vermont	625,741	643,077	17,336	2.8%
Virginia	8,001,024	8,631,393	630,369	7.9%
Washington	6,724,540	7,705,281	980,741	14.6%
West Virginia	1,852,994	1,793,716	-59,278	-3.2%
Wisconsin	5,686,986	5,893,718	206,732	3.6%
Wyoming	563,626	576,851	13,225	2.3%
Puerto Rico	3,725,789	3,285,874	-439,915	-11.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau