Democratic National Convention just in time to wave goodbye to Chicagoans
The Democratic National Convention is coming to Chicago to highlight the party’s platform. Delegates are likely to see moving vans that highlight what those policies have done to the Windy City and the rest of Illinois.
With the Democratic National Convention coming to Chicago Aug. 19-22, the city will be the stage for the party’s platform – policies that are causing too many Chicagoans and Illinoisans to pack up and move out.
Chicago has lost nearly 130,000 residents since 2014, marking nine straight years of population decline. The city’s population was last this low a century ago.
Illinois is also experiencing an exodus of residents. There were 87,311 residents moving to other states in 2022, making Illinois the third-biggest loser of population in the U.S. Only California (-307,117) and New York (-222,702), two other high-tax states, lost more residents to other states than Illinois.
The Illinois exodus has been going on for a decade, with a total population drop of 548,916. Almost all that loss was because people left the state.
Polling from NPR Illinois and the University of Illinois found 61% of Illinoisans thought about moving out of state in 2019, with the No. 1 reason being taxes.
When 61% of residents consider leaving the state and so many cite taxes as the problem, it’s hard to believe Illinois leaders can tout the state as a model for governing, even to sympathetic members of their party.
Recent data from the IRS shows most Illinoisans are moving to Florida (19,099), Texas (12,259) and Indiana (9,196). All three states have much lower tax burdens.
Illinois' ongoing population decline is driven by high taxes and unfavorable fiscal policies that make housing less affordable and damage the job market. Illinois has the nation’s second-highest property taxes and third-worst unemployment.
As Democrats hammer together their platform, they may want to examine Illinois and Chicago – as examples of what not to do if you want communities to grow.