Since 2020, 84% of Illinois communities have lost population. Small towns were hit hardest by population declines in 2024, while Chicago’s migrant crisis helped offset people choosing to leave.

Small towns in Illinois are getting smaller, suffering the bulk of population loss since the last census.

Of Illinois’ 1,294 communities, 924 of them with fewer than 10,000 residents lost people since the April 2020 U.S. Census. All told, 84% of Illinois communities lost people, according to data released May 15 by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Just in the past year, 47% of the 1,294 incorporated cities, towns and villages lost population. The statewide population grew by 67,899 residents from July 2023-July 2024.

Springfield and Decatur were the only cities with populations greater than 50,000 to see their populations decline last year. All other losses were from communities with fewer than 50,000 residents. Most of Illinois’ small towns experienced population declines as 565 – or 53% – of communities with fewer than 10,000 residents shrank last year.

Looking at population change over a single year doesn’t paint an accurate picture of Illinois’ population trends and what is happening in communities across the state.

Declines have not been limited to small towns. Most cities of all sizes have been shrinking, though the greatest share of population decline came in communities with populations below 10,000.

The decline in population across much of the state comes in spite of a massive influx of immigrants , particularly in Chicago. While Chicago’s population increased by 22,164 residents in 2024, the city has lost more than 27,000 inhabitants compared to April 2020 levels.

Virtually all the increase in population last year was likely because of the arrival of international migrants. More than 96,000 international migrants arrived in the Chicago metropolitan area last year and nearly 240,000 have come since April 2020.

While the temporary surge in international arrivals has propped up Chicago’s population for 2024, it has not been enough to reverse Chicago’s long-standing population trends. The metro area lost nearly 46,000 residents since 2020. The drop in population has been entirely thanks to Chicagoans moving to other areas, with more than 347,000 Chicagoland residents moving away during that time.

Rather than using the most recent data to tout some non-existent victory for the city, Mayor Brandon Johnson – and politicians statewide – should examine Illinois’ broader population trends and the reason residents are fleeing.

High taxes were the No. 1 reason why Illinoisans considered leaving the state. Polling from NPR Illinois and the University of Illinois found 61% of Illinoisans thought about moving out of state in 2019, and the No. 1 reason was taxes. The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute found 47% of Illinoisans wanted to leave the state, and “taxes are the single biggest reason people want to leave” with 27% of respondents citing taxes as the motive for departing in 2016. More recent polling conducted by Echelon Insights in 2023 and M3 Strategies in 2025 substantiated those sentiments.

Unfortunately, there have been relentless calls for higher taxation across the state. If state leaders give in and refuse to acknowledge why so many Illinoisans are leaving – taxes and business regulations that make life harder – the state can expect to see the continued exodus of residents to other states.