McHenry Times

McHenry County was one of the 10 Illinois counties seeing the greatest loss of residents moving to other states between July 2015 and July 2016, according to a U.S. Census chart tweeted by an independent public policy group recently.

McHenry lost 1,589 residents in that time frame, the statistics delivered by the Illinois Policy Institute show. The county followed a statewide trend that saw 93 out of 102 counties experiencing outmigration. 

The Chicago Tribune said Chicago was the only one of the 10 largest metro areas in the nation to lose population during the same period. The Chicago area lost 19,570 residents in 2016 and 11,324 in 2015.

"There's this big regional thing going on," Rob Paral, a Chicago-based demographer, said. "It's not about what's wrong with Chicago — if anything, it's what's wrong with the Midwest or the Northeast."

Illinois' population is at its lowest level since 2009, at 12,801,539 residents.

The article also discussed the potential financial and political ramifications of population loss, including less federal funding. When populations shrink, they lose funding, and taxpayers might face additional financial burdens.

"Illinois should be one of the fastest-growing states," Eleni Demertzis, a spokeswoman for Gov. Bruce Rauner, said in an email. "Instead, people are leaving. That is why Gov. Rauner is working so hard to pass a truly balanced budget in order to make changes that attract employers and create good jobs."