Survey: Illinois 2nd in U.S. for residents leaving
Illinois is the second-most popular state to leave based on a survey of movers by United Van Lines. Illinois has also experienced nine straight years of population loss.
Illinois ranked second in the nation for residents packing up and finding a new state in 2022, according to a survey by moving company United Van Lines.
People moving out of Illinois made up 63.8% of total migration, meaning 36.2% of those moving were headed into the state. Only New Jersey had a higher outbound percentage at 66.8%.
Illinois has had nine consecutive years of population loss – the second-longest streak in the nation, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
The No. 1 reason United Van Lines was given for people leaving Illinois was jobs, with more than one-third of respondents listing it as a primary reason ahead of family and retirement. Housing and employment opportunities have both been made worse by poor public policy in Illinois.
Preliminary data from November shows Illinois had the second-worst unemployment rate in the country, behind Nevada.
Over half of outbound Illinoisans in the survey made $150,000 or more, leaving lower income Illinoisans to foot the bill of Illinois’ tax burden, including the second-highest property taxes in the nation.
Property taxes are essential to funding local schools, but they don’t add value when a WalletHub analysis ranked Illinois 18th in the nation for public school quality.
United Van Lines also compiled data of the top 25 outbound metropolitan areas. Illinois had four: Springfield at No. 5 with a 73% outbound rate, Champaign-Urbana at No. 12 with a 69% outbound rate, Joliet at No. 14 with a 68% outbound rate and Chicago at No. 16 with a 67% outbound rate.
Concerned Chicagoans can make their voices heard by voting in the upcoming Feb. 28 election. Registering to vote by mail lets you vote safely in the privacy of your own home. You can register here.
For more permanent solutions to Illinois’ troubles keeping residents, state leaders need to offer property tax and state tax reform. Those begin with controls on the growth of the state’s $313 billion pension deficit. That requires an amendment to the Illinois Constitution.