For years, sagacious observers have warned that the real
threat to prosperity in Illinois is not high taxes or low politics but stagnant
population growth. I addressed the issue in a 2014 column titled “Stuck in
Illinois . . . “ Emily Badger at the Washington Post gives us the
most recent demographic data about domestic moves, that is, Americans
moving from one state to another.
Illinois, alas, is among the eight states from which many
more people have moved than have moved in. Its net loss during the year that
began in July 20154 was 105,000 people — a whole Elgin disappeared. Not the
worst in the U.S., but close.
The gross numbers conceal some important facts.
A lot of the leavers are old people, who are no longer productive members of
the economy. Most of the in-movers are moving into the Chicago area, which
means that Downstate continue to see a disproportionate number of packed-up
moving vans.
This article appears in Dec 24-30, 2015.
