Illinois population slide is nation's third-largest behind New York and California

New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show Illinois lost a population the near equivalent of Springfield in 2022, continuing a nine-year population slide in the Land of Lincoln.

The report found Illinois subtracted more than 104,000 from its ranks this year going from 12.6 million to 12.5 million residents. The population loss of 0.8% was the third-highest behind New York and California and was among the 18 states that lost population this year. Driving that loss primarily was the 141,656 people migrating out of the state.

The rest of the Midwest also reported a population loss of nearly 50,000 residents, but neighboring states of Indiana and Wisconsin did grow in 2022. Ohio and Michigan also lost population although not nearly at the rate of Illinois.

Overall, the U.S. added more than 1.2 million residents from 2021 to 2022 to reach a population of 333,287,557. A large reason, the Census Bureau said, for that increase is international migration returning to similar levels seen before COVID-19. Birth rates also outpaced deaths this year by more than 245,000.

“It’s welcome because we would have been back to almost flatline growth if not for this immigration,” said William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution.

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Previous population loss in the state between 2010 and 2020 led to Illinois losing a congressional seat and was the first time in its 200-plus year history that the Census reported a population reduction. This happened despite Chicago gaining more than 50,000 residents, whereas smaller cities like Springfield, Peoria, and Rockford all reported population loss over the prior decade.

Since 1930, the state has lost 10 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Associate Press contributed.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: U.S. Census estimates Illinois population shrank by more than 100,000