Sangamon Sun

State Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) points to the state’s dwindling population as the latest example of Illinois' many troubles.

“Everything in Springfield is going in the wrong direction,” McClure told the Sangamon Sun. “We have to make the state a place where people want to live and businesses want to come. The way to do that is to keep taxes as low as possible, have good infrastructure and have communities focused on development. That’s how you grow an economy and grow people back into this state.”

McClure argues the fact Illinois is just one of four states to have lost population over the last decade speaks volumes about its direction. Overall, the latest U.S. Census Bureau data pegs the loss at nearly 170,000 residents, almost 49,000 of them coming Cook County alone.

Over that same time, the state has lost population in at least 93 of its 102 counties, with at least 10 counties losing upwards of 5,000 individuals.

McClure fears things get could worse before they get better.  

“Based on what I’m seeing and hearing none of what needs to be done is being handled,” he said. “Unless we drastically change course immediately we will continue to spiral into further economic hardship and more people will leave the state leaving us with even less tax revenue. It just makes our problems that much worse.”

Deeper analysis shows that downstate counties have particularly suffered, with the region losing 144,000 residents or 3.2% of its 2010 population over the same time period.

In addition, data shows the losses in Cook County represent the second worst losses of residents in any country across the country, with only Wayne County in Michigan losing more people.