By Sean Reed | The Center Square
Illinois’ population has continued to narrowly grow this year, despite a significant number of cities in the state losing residents to other states.
Some say the trend of increasing tax rates is to blame.
The majority of metropolitan areas in the state have lost residents again in 2025, with Census Bureau data estimates showing only two major areas with any real domestic growth, Rockford and the Illinois portion of the St. Louis metro.
Bryce Hill, director of fiscal and economic analysis for the Illinois Policy Institute, said taxes are driving Illinoisans beyond state boundaries.
“Illinois already imposes one of the highest tax burdens in the country, with the nation’s highest property taxes, among the highest sales taxes, and a 32% income tax increase in 2017,” Hill said. “If state leaders are serious about reversing domestic outmigration, they must focus on tax relief and reducing regulatory barriers to make Illinois more competitive and affordable.”
Rockford is the only main metro in the state that saw true population growth, according to the data. The gain came from all areas, domestic and international migration, and a natural population increase.
The Chicago metro, including surrounding counties, saw a domestic migration loss of almost 34,000, with the area only growing by 4,200 people when accounting for international migration.
Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for Illinois Governor, also pointed to state taxes as a big reason people are leaving Illinois.
“It’s pretty simple. It’s affordability. People can’t afford to live here. I mean that is the number one far and away issue. I have been in Chicago for the last two weeks,” Bailey said. “Property taxes are too high – especially for our friends here in Chicago, they have escalated in the last three years much faster than ours have in the rest of the state.”
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