Posted on 12/23/2020 11:30:28 AM PST by SJackson
Even subtracting COVID-19 deaths, Illinois still suffered its largest population drop in modern history in the first year of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s fiscal policies, including 20 new tax and fee hikes, as well as his pandemic response.
Illinois recorded a seventh straight year of population loss, but the drop was historic – 79,487 residents from July 2019 to July 2020, the most since World War II and the second largest of any state in raw numbers or percentage of population.
Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau Dec. 22 shows only New York lost a greater number or share of residents during the year.
The data marks the seventh consecutive year Illinois has experienced population decline, the longest streak in state history. That streak is the second-longest in the nation, behind only West Virginia, which has battled population decline for eight consecutive years. Meanwhile, Connecticut is the only other state to experience seven consecutive years of population decline. However, Illinois holds the distinct title of suffering the most consecutive years of worsening population decline, being the only state where population loss has accelerated each year for the past seven years.
The last time Illinois lost more residents in a year was in 1945, when the population was down 118,000 residents. The next year Illinois gained 554,000 residents, indicating the losses in 1945 were most likely deployments for World War II.
Even subtracting the 6,951 deaths from COVID-19 suffered in Illinois as of July 1, the 2020 losses are still the biggest population drop since WWII.
From July 2010 to July 2020, Illinois has lost a grand total of 253,015 residents, more than triple the amount lost by any other state during that time. This is roughly equivalent to losing the combined populations of Naperville and Peoria. On a percentage basis, only West Virginia lost a greater share of its state population over that time.
While data scheduled to be released in February 2021 will shed light on the main drivers of population loss in 2020, historical data shows domestic outmigration – moving to and from other states – has been the sole driver of population decline. Major reasons Illinoisans are choosing to leave the state are for better housing and employment opportunities, both of which have been hindered by poor public policy in Illinois. Nearly half of Illinoisans have thought about moving away, and they said taxes were their No. 1 reason.
Now, more than ever, Illinois needs to foster an environment where its residents can thrive. The wrong answers are adding new taxation, as Gov. J.B. Pritzker did in 2019 with 20 new taxes and fees, tried to do in 2020, with the failed “fair tax,”and is threatening to do in 2021, with a state income tax increase of up to 20%. Illinoisans are leaving – a message Pritzker and state lawmakers ignore at everyone’s peril.
Instead of looking for more in taxes, they should fix the state’s finances by enacting constitutional pension reform that would protect core services that Illinoisans rely on and protect the government pension systems themselves. Constitutional pension reform would offer overburdened Illinois taxpayers a path to declining debt, lower taxes, more effective state government and a more sustainable recovery – and maybe stop someone from choosing another state.
My solution: Confiscate every billionaires assets-leave them $50 million. They’re lefties.
That means more food left for Gov. Creosote. Bon appetit.
ILLINOIS SEES WORST POPULATION DECLINE SINCE WORLD WAR II
What else did you expect as this state is run by a bunch of socialists who are not only crooked but ignorant and stupid as well. Their main interest being how to line their pockets. I do believe they are competing with Kaliornia to see who will go broke first.
Only, are they leaving for better taxes, or to spread their left wing virus?
I’ve never understood Chicago...
crowded, expensive, and bad weather
The trifecta of unappealing
ILLINOIS SEES WORST POPULATION DECLINE SINCE WORLD WAR II
What else did you expect as this state is run by a bunch of socialists who are not only crooked but ignorant and stupid as well. Their main interest being how to line their pockets. I do believe they are competing with Kaliornia to see who will go broke first. The same old story, Socialism and the touch of death.
Number 1 in homicide and crappy pizza.
Liberalism on the move.
So far there’s no law against us moving from one state to another.
Illinois is just sporulating. Their diaspora will drift off and land on low-tax freedom loving conservative states, and germinate, completing the life-cycle.
Democrats are simply clueless they are the root of evil, yet all the know is finger pointing.
People are “voting with their feet.”
Chicago has a hot job market for crime beat reporters.
I live in Illinois and am trapped because of family. Illinois is a pension state. One-fourth of the state income goes to pensions. There is never any discussion about this. Two retired principals my children had get about $160K annually. Both spiked their pension my manipulating their final salaries. A retired superintendent my children had gets well over $200K annually. There are countless others in Illinois just like them.
Ditto for NYC...I wouldn’t go to either place to throw up.
Well... Illinois, New York, California et al. should be happy that the 2020 census focused on residence of record as of April 1, 2020 instead of August 1 or September 1. The population losses from those states in those few months were likely staggering.
IMHO- the reason so many billionaires are commies is because in the era of mass media, arts and tech, for some people it comes extremely easy.
There is a HUGE difference between someone who actually built a business over many years (Ross Perot) and someone who simply stumbled upon millions or even billions because they created Amazon (right place and time), stole the idea (Zuckerberg) or have a pretty face (Johnny Depp). Children that get spoiled and never had a real job are also very liberal when it comes to how they see money and spending it.
The era we live in: mass media and technology make this possible. If you went back in time, you would find very few of the industrialists in the 1800s or 1900s being socialists... Think of it this way. Technology and mass media today allows for some people to strike it rich without putting in the time, physical labor, exposure to risk, family separation... that was often the case many years ago.
These people literally embody the saying: “Let them eat cake.” They are out of touch-
I know several active Democrat Party members / low-level functionaries in Chicago
They think Michael Madigan is awesome, that government workers unions are the vanguard of freedom, democracy and protection for the little guy, that Republicans are always just on the verge of taking over Illinois except for constant vigilance, and overall, they couldn’t care less about declining population.
It shows to me that Americans are increasingly living in their own version of reality, supported by their own bubble, contact with only their own cohorts, and news from only their own media.
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