Daywatch: What the latest census numbers tell us about Chicagoland
Good morning, Chicago.
Though the city of Chicago has lost residents in recent years, the suburbs in Cook County have lost more, while suburbs far from the city are booming, new U.S. census estimates show.
Chicago lost about 82,000 people, or 3% of its population, from April 2020 to July 2023, giving the city a total of 2,664,452 residents, according to the census. But the city’s rate of population decline has sharply slowed, falling to just 0.3% — or 8,208 people — last year.
Statewide, Illinois lost an estimated 263,780 in the same three years, or 2%, to 12,549,689.
The losses reflect larger demographic changes in recent times, including a shift in population from the Midwest to the South and West; Black migration from the Chicago area; and a lack of in-migration, demographics analyst Rob Paral said.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Robert McCoppin, Jake Sheridan and Kori Rumore. Search population estimates across Illinois here.
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