Prairie State Wire

Illinois lost 113,776 residents between July 1, 2020, and July 1 of this year due to out-migration to other states, representing the third highest population loss among all 50 states and the District of Columbia, a new federal study found.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s new population estimates released this month indicated that Illinois lost 0.9% of its population during that time period. The percentage decrease was greater than any other jurisdiction, with the exception of Washington, D.C., and the state of New York, the Census Bureau said.

Nationwide, the population grew by 392,665 during the 2020-2021 time period, which represents a 0.1% increase, the lowest rate in U.S. history, the study says. The low population increase was attributed to decreased net international migration, lower fertility and the number of deaths caused by COVID-19.

The South was the only region reporting positive net domestic migration (657,682) from 2020 to 2021, according to the Census Bureau. The West gained population overall but suffered from a net out-migration of 144,941, the study said.

The number of jurisdictions reporting net out-migration in the 2020-2021 time period was 17 states plus the District of Columbia, while 33 states reported population increases, the report said.

---

Top 10 Most Populous States in 2021

Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021
1	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836
2	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941
3	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128
4	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913
5	Pennsylvania	13,002,700	12,989,625	12,964,056
6	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469
7	Ohio	11,799,448	11,790,587	11,780,017
8	Georgia	10,711,908	10,725,800	10,799,566
9	North Carolina	10,439,388	10,457,177	10,551,162
10	Michigan	10,077,331	10,067,664	10,050,811

Top 10 States for Numeric Population Growth, 2020-2021

Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Numeric Growth
1	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941	310,288
2	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128	211,196
3	Arizona	7,151,502	7,177,986	7,276,316	98,330
4	North Carolina	10,439,388	10,457,177	10,551,162	93,985
5	Georgia	10,711,908	10,725,800	10,799,566	73,766
6	South Carolina	5,118,425	5,130,729	5,190,705	59,976
7	Utah	3,271,616	3,281,684	3,337,975	56,291
8	Tennessee	6,910,840	6,920,119	6,975,218	55,099
9	Idaho	1,839,106	1,847,772	1,900,923	53,151
10	Nevada	3,104,614	3,114,071	3,143,991	29,920

Top 10 States Percentage Growth, 2020-2021

Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Percent Growth
1	Idaho	1,839,106	1,847,772	1,900,923	2.9%
2	Utah	3,271,616	3,281,684	3,337,975	1.7%
3	Montana	1,084,225	1,086,193	1,104,271	1.7%
4	Arizona	7,151,502	7,177,986	7,276,316	1.4%
5	South Carolina	5,118,425	5,130,729	5,190,705	1.2%
6	Delaware	989,948	991,886	1,003,384	1.2%
7	Texas	29,145,505	29,217,653	29,527,941	1.1%
8	Florida	21,538,187	21,569,932	21,781,128	1.0%
9	Nevada	3,104,614	3,114,071	3,143,991	1.0%
10	South Dakota	886,667	887,099	895,376	0.9%

Top 10 States in Numeric Decline, 2020-2021

Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Numeric Decline
1	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913	-319,020
2	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836	-261,902
3	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469	-113,776
4	Massachusetts	7,029,917	7,022,220	6,984,723	-37,497
5	Louisiana	4,657,757	4,651,203	4,624,047	-27,156
6	Pennsylvania	13,002,700	12,989,625	12,964,056	-25,569
7	District of Columbia	689,545	690,093	670,050	-20,043
8	Michigan	10,077,331	10,067,664	10,050,811	-16,853
9	New Jersey	9,288,994	9,279,743	9,267,130	-12,613
10	Ohio	11,799,448	11,790,587	11,780,017	-10,570

Top 10 States in Percentage Decline, 2020-2021

Rank	Geographic Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2020	July 1, 2021	Percent Decline
1	District of Columbia	689,545	690,093	670,050	-2.90%
2	New York	20,201,249	20,154,933	19,835,913	-1.60%
3	Illinois	12,812,508	12,785,245	12,671,469	-0.90%
4	Hawaii	1,455,271	1,451,911	1,441,553	-0.70%
5	California	39,538,223	39,499,738	39,237,836	-0.70%
6	Louisiana	4,657,757	4,651,203	4,624,047	-0.60%
7	Massachusetts	7,029,917	7,022,220	6,984,723	-0.50%
8	North Dakota	779,094	778,962	774,948	-0.50%
9	West Virginia	1,793,716	1,789,798	1,782,959	-0.40%
10	Mississippi	2,961,279	2,956,870	2,949,965	-0.20%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau