According to the latest data from the United States Census Bureau, Illinois was one of eight states that saw population declines during 2023, though the bureau says that the decline is occurring at a slower rate than in previous years.
According to the figures released this week, Illinois’ population has dropped to 12,549,689, representing a decrease of 0.26% from a year ago. By contrast, Illinois lost approximately 0.85% of its population between 2021 and 2022, according to the Bureau.
Since the last full Census in 2020, Illinois has seen an estimated decrease of 2.06% in its population, losing nearly 264,000 residents.
The Census Bureau data shows Illinois as having the fourth-highest rate of decline year-over-year. New York reported a drop of 0.52% in its population, with Louisiana and Hawaii both losing a larger percentage of their population year-over-year than Illinois.
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California, Oregon, Pennsylvania and West Virginia also saw lower population numbers than a year ago, with 42 states and the District of Columbia seeing growth in their populations year-over-year.
Texas and Florida added the most residents in terms of raw numbers, with South Carolina and Florida both growing their populations by approximately 1.7% year-over-year.
Illinois is still the sixth-largest state in the country in terms of population, edging out states like Ohio and Georgia. California remains the largest by more than eight million residents over Texas, with Florida, New York and Pennsylvania rounding out the top five.
