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 New data from the U.S. Census Bureau
are revealing the severity of Illinois’ people problem.
From July 2016 to July 2017, Illinois saw a net loss of nearly 115,000 people to
other states on net, or 1 person every 4.6 minutes. Even on a per capita basis,
no neighboring state came close to those losses.
Since 2010, Illinois has lost nearly
643,000 residents to other states on net. That’s equivalent to the populations
of the four largest cities outside of Chicago combined: Aurora, Rockford, Joliet
and Naperville.
Due to Illinois’ domestic migration
problem, the Land of Lincoln has been shrinking in population for four
consecutive years. Only West Virginia has seen more consecutive years of
population decline, with five. Meanwhile, none of Illinois’ neighboring states
have experienced population decline since 2011, when Michigan saw a minor
downturn.
While Illinois gained more then 47,200 people through natural growth (births
minus deaths) and saw a net gain of 33,700 people from international migration
over the year, those increases were wiped out by losses to other states. That
caused the state’s population to shrink.
Illinois’ population loss was worse
than any other state in raw numbers, and the third worst in percentage terms. It
was enough to strip the Land of Lincoln of its title as the fifth-largest state,
a spot that now belongs to Pennsylvania.
The continuing erosion of Illinois’ tax base is the state’s most pressing budget
problem. For too many families, the high cost of government and the resulting
laggard economy has made Illinois an unattractive place in which to plant roots.
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State and local
politicians must take aggressive action to rein in those costs. Even
the fear of further tax hikes is enough to drive further
outmigration, so time is of the essence.
Bringing fairness to the stacked deck of government worker union
negotiations is one place to start. Government worker unions in
Illinois currently have the power to hold taxpayers over a barrel,
so it’s no wonder residents are stuck paying some of the nation’s
highest property taxes.
At the same time, leaders must move to consolidate scores of
Illinois governments. The Land of Lincoln is home to more taxing
bodies than any other state, by far.
Further, passing a property tax freeze on homeowners’ actual bills
(not just the levies of local governments) and requiring voter
approval for property tax hikes are two powerful reforms that would
go a long way for Illinois families dealing with stagnant incomes.
After all, property taxes are the largest tax Illinoisans pay.
Rather than tackle any of these issues, Illinois lawmakers have
instead opted for massive tax hikes with no reform. And local
governments across the state are following suit.
Reforms to grow the state’s economy – rather than continuing to hit
up tapped out residents – should be at the top of every lawmaker’s
list of New Year’s resolutions.
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