Illinois finishes 3rd worst in new state-by-state domestic migration study

Illinois suffered one of the greatest population declines in the U.S. this year. | Morguefile.com / Click

By Michael Carroll

Jan 6, 2023

Illinois’ population dropped by 104,437 from 2021 to 2022, a reduction of 0.82%, according to a study from the website Wirepoints that is based on new data released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Only California, which suffered a population loss of 113,649) and New York (a loss of 180,341) had greater population declines than Illinois, Wirepoints reported. The states’ population changes were driven primarily by domestic migration, the study found.

At the other end of the ranking, Texas finished first, gaining 470,708 people over the same time period, and Florida gained 416,754. Texas saw its population grow 1.59% between 2021 and 2022, while Florida’s population grew by a percentage of 1.91.

The pro-growth, pro-business and pro-taxpayer policies of red states such as Florida and Texas formed a magnet that drew migration from other states, the study found. The data is based on numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Dec. 22.

In addition to adding to their wealth and economic growth, states such as Texas, Florida and North Carolina are gaining representation in Congress and thus expanding their political influence, according to Wirepoints. The authors also see the population losses in blue states such as Illinois as a result of a public rejection of “draconian pandemic policies.”

Red states, however, did see some population erosion as well in 2022. Louisiana, for example, came in 46th in the ranking, losing a total of 36,857 residents.

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Change in State Populations From 2021 to 2022

State	2021 Population	2022 Population	Increase / Decrease in Population	Rank	Percent Increase / Decrease in Population	Rank
Texas	29,558,864	30,029,572	470,708	1	1.59%	4
Florida	21,828,069	22,244,823	416,754	2	1.91%	1
North Carolina	10,565,885	10,698,973	133,088	3	1.26%	9
Georgia	10,788,029	10,912,876	124,847	4	1.16%	12
Arizona	7,264,877	7,359,197	94,320	5	1.30%	8
South Carolina	5,193,266	5,282,634	89,368	6	1.72%	3
Tennessee	6,968,351	7,051,339	82,988	7	1.19%	11
Washington	7,740,745	7,785,786	45,041	8	0.58%	16
Utah	3,339,113	3,380,800	41,687	9	1.25%	10
Idaho	1,904,314	1,939,033	34,719	10	1.82%	2
Nevada	3,146,402	3,177,772	31,370	11	1.00%	13
Colorado	5,811,297	5,839,926	28,629	12	0.49%	19
Oklahoma	3,991,225	4,019,800	28,575	13	0.72%	14
Virginia	8,657,365	8,683,619	26,254	14	0.30%	22
Alabama	5,049,846	5,074,296	24,450	15	0.48%	20
Indiana	6,813,532	6,833,037	19,505	16	0.29%	23
Arkansas	3,028,122	3,045,637	17,515	17	0.58%	17
Montana	1,106,227	1,122,867	16,640	18	1.50%	6
South Dakota	896,164	909,824	13,660	19	1.52%	5
Delaware	1,004,807	1,018,396	13,589	20	1.35%	7
Wisconsin	5,880,101	5,892,539	12,438	21	0.21%	25
Missouri	6,169,823	6,177,957	8,134	22	0.13%	27
Maine	1,377,238	1,385,340	8,102	23	0.59%	15
New Hampshire	1,387,505	1,395,231	7,726	24	0.56%	18
Kentucky	4,506,589	4,512,310	5,721	25	0.13%	28
Minnesota	5,711,471	5,717,184	5,713	26	0.10%	29
Nebraska	1,963,554	1,967,923	4,369	27	0.22%	24
Connecticut	3,623,355	3,626,205	2,850	28	0.08%	31
Iowa	3,197,689	3,200,517	2,828	29	0.09%	30
Wyoming	579,483	581,381	1,898	30	0.33%	21
North Dakota	777,934	779,261	1,327	31	0.17%	26
Vermont	646,972	647,064	92	32	0.01%	32
Alaska	734,182	733,583	−599	33	−0.08%	37
Kansas	2,937,922	2,937,150	−772	34	−0.03%	33
Rhode Island	1,096,985	1,093,734	−3,251	35	−0.30%	42
New Mexico	2,116,677	2,113,344	−3,333	36	−0.16%	39
Michigan	10,037,504	10,034,113	−3,391	37	−0.03%	34
New Jersey	9,267,961	9,261,699	−6,262	38	−0.07%	35
Hawaii	1,447,154	1,440,196	−6,958	39	−0.48%	46
Massachusetts	6,989,690	6,981,974	−7,716	40	−0.11%	38
Ohio	11,764,342	11,756,058	−8,284	41	−0.07%	36
Mississippi	2,949,586	2,940,057	−9,529	42	−0.32%	44
Maryland	6,174,610	6,164,660	−9,950	43	−0.16%	40
West Virginia	1,785,526	1,775,156	−10,370	44	−0.58%	47
Oregon	4,256,301	4,240,137	−16,164	45	−0.38%	45
Louisiana	4,627,098	4,590,241	−36,857	46	−0.80%	48
Pennsylvania	13,012,059	12,972,008	−40,051	47	−0.31%	43
Illinois	12,686,469	12,582,032	−104,437	48	−0.82%	49
California	39,142,991	39,029,342	−113,649	49	−0.29%	41
New York	19,857,492	19,677,151	−180,341	50	−0.91%	50