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According to taxpayer migration data, Illinois lost a net
105,000 residents in 2020. Only New York and California lost
more.
The statistics are based on tax returns filed in 2020 and 2021,
showing who moved from one state to another between 2019 and
2020. People who didn't file taxes aren't reflected in the data.
Ted Dabrowski, president of the nonprofit Wirepoints, said
people are moving away from Blue states like Illinois to Red
states.
“Those states that are pro-growth, low taxes, friendly to
business, they are growing like crazy, and those states that are
more oppressive on taxes and policy, people are leaving those
states,” said Dabrowski to The Center Square.
Dabrowski said the data shows Illinois’ tax base took a hit,
losing nearly $11 billion in taxable income to other states.
“The average income of the people moving to Illinois make
$44,000 less than the people who are leaving Illinois, so we’re
losing wealthier people and the ones that come in are not as
wealthy,” Dabrowski said. “That is a big problem too because it
is a destruction of our tax base.”
Pritzker has repeatedly denied that the state is losing
residents, including two weeks ago in Boston.
“We did a census in 2020, it turns out all the American
Community Survey data wrong. We gained population in the state
of Illinois,” Pritzker said.
A request for comment from the governor’s office regarding the
latest IRS numbers went unanswered. U.S. Census data shows
Illinois has lost residents for nine consecutive years,
confirming the IRA data. Other anecdotal evidence from moving
truck companies such as U-Haul backs that data up as well.
Dabrowski notes the IRS migration report uses tax returns and is
hard data that is indisputable evidence on the movement of
Americans between states.
Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in
Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of
experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest.
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