New census figures show Illinois’ population change was actually a modest gain, but experts say warning signs remain
CHICAGO — Brooke Landrum came to Chicago from Cincinnati in 2016 to attend Loyola University, and after graduation she decided to stay and settle into the bustling Lakeview neighborhood.
That put Landrum among the influx of newcomers who helped Illinois’ population grow by about 250,000 between 2010 and 2020, according to updated census figures released Thursday. The new estimate stands in contrast to the oft-expressed belief that the state is hemorrhaging people, and matches what Landrum, a 23-year-old market research analyst, has experienced on the North Side.
“I’m apartment hunting right now and all the decent ones get snapped up in 24 hours,” she said. “It’s so quick. It’s not a sign of people leaving.”
The U.S. Census Bureau originally that Illinois lost about 18,000 people over the prior decade, which was the first time — something that happens after each once-a-decade head count of the U.S. population — it discovered the state’s population figures had likely been undercounted.
