Census data shows more urban concentration, population drops in most counties in Illinois
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Nearly every county in Illinois lost population over the past decade, mirroring a national trend of greater concentrations of people leaving rural areas and moving to larger metropolitan areas.
That’s according to the latest numbers released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau showing detailed population numbers from the 2020 census for cities, counties and small geographic areas.
In April, the Census Bureau released statewide numbers that determine how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state receives. That report showed Illinois’ overall population had shrunk by 18,124 people, to a little more than 12.8 million.
That was a much smaller decline than many people had expected, but it did result in Illinois losing one congressional seat, meaning there will be only 17 districts instead of 18 when the 2022 elections are held.
The new data released Thursday shows in much greater detail exactly where the population changes occurred. Those numbers are intended to be used to redraw congressional and state legislative district lines so that all residents are represented as equally as possible in both state and federal governments.
But the data also has a number of other purposes beyond local representation in government.
“Results from the 2020 census will be used for the next 10 years to shape the future of our country,” Acting Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin said during a video news conference Thursday. “Local leaders can use this data to make decisions such as where to build roads and hospitals, and how to help our nation recover from the pandemic. These results will also help inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds will be distributed each year nationwide.”
The data were released in what the Census Bureau calls its “legacy format,” meaning it can be read only in sophisticated programs that are used mainly by academics, government officials and others who work with large databases. It was distributed to state officials and legislative leaders in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
But some of the summary data that was released showed the broad trends.
For example, all 10 of the largest cities in the United States gained population since the 2010 census. That includes Chicago, which grew by a little less than 2 percent.
New York City remained the largest city in the U.S., with 8.8 million people, while Los Angeles County remained the largest county, with more than 10 million people.
Nationally, the areas with the most growth areas were located in the southern and western portions of the country. But more than half of all counties in the U.S. saw population declines.
Within Illinois, Cook County and its surrounding collar counties all grew by less than 5 percent. The same was true for Carroll County in northwestern Illinois, McLean and Champaign counties in central Illinois, and Effingham and Williamson counties in southern Illinois.
Grundy County, on the southwest edge of the Chicago metropolitan area, was the fastest-growing county in the state at over 10 percent. And Johnson County in southern Illinois had a growth rate between 5 and 10 percent.
Also in 2020, the Census Bureau refined the way it tracks race and ethnicity. That information is also important for redistricting in order to prevent minority populations from being broken up or diluted among districts, or from being overly concentrated in too few districts.
People who identify themselves as white continue to be the largest racial group in the country at 61.6 percent of the population, while people who identify as white alone or in combination with some other race make up 71 percent.
Illinois is slightly less white than the nation as a whole, with 61.4 percent nationally identifying as white alone and 69.7 percent identifying as white alone or in combination with another race.
People of Hispanic or Latino origin make up the largest ethnic minority group in Illinois at 18.2 percent, or just over 2.3 million people.
Blacks make up 14.1 percent of the Illinois population, higher than the national average of 12.4 percent, while Asian Americans make up 5.9 percent and 8.9 percent identify as being from two or more races.
The Census Bureau also developed what it calls a “diversity index,” which attempts to measure how racially diverse a given population is. It is based on the probability that any two people chosen at random from the population would be from different races.
Illinois’ diversity index was listed as 60.3 percent, which is just below the national average but still in the second-highest quintile of states. Hawaii was ranked as the most diverse, with an index value of 76 percent, while Maine was the least diverse, at 18.5 percent.
The release of 2020 census data was delayed by several months, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Illinois General Assembly, however, redrew state legislative and appellate court district lines anyway, using population estimates based on survey data from the Census Bureau.
Those new maps are now the subject of two federal lawsuits by Republican leaders in the legislature and the Mexican American Legal and Defense and Educational Fund that are pending in the Northern District of Illinois.
But lawmakers delayed redrawing congressional district maps pending the release of the official census data while also pushing back the 2022 primary elections to July instead of March. Now that the official data is available, that remapping process is expected to begin soon.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Hunt man who tried to rob Chase Bank
Spread the love. FBI looking for tips from public . From staff reports FBI officials are appealing to the public for help in finding a man who attempted to rob a Southwest Side bank branch. The bandit tried to rob the Chase Bank branch at 5687 S. Archer (just west of Laramie) at about 11…
Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC to play at Wrigley Field
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Chicago Red Stars forward Ally Schlegel loves Wrigley Field. “I adored Wrigley the second I went to my first Cubs game,” Schlegel said. “I fell in love with it thinking it was the perfect sporting experience with how they built it up down there.” She will go from a…
Trinity Christian College names new hoops coaches
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Trinity Christian officials were busy on April 11 ushering in new eras for its basketball programs. Trolls Athletic Director Wendy Reid announced that Jordan Mast is taking over the men’s basketball program, while Jasmine Porter has been named women’s hoops coach. Mast comes to the school in Palos Heights…
Reavis baseball coach and Hall of Famer Don Erickson to retire after season
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A deal is a deal. Longtime Reavis baseball coach Don Erickson has said he would retire after his son, Sam, graduates from high school, so he can watch Sam play in college. Erickson doesn’t get to many of his son’s high school games because Sam plays at Downers Grove…
Worth Library offers seeds for free
Spread the loveBy Kelly White A seed library collects and stores seeds and shares them with members of the community for free. Similar to a normal library, gardeners borrow seeds from the seed library at planting time. At the end of the growing seasons, they save seeds from the plants and return a portion of…
Paisans Pizza eyes May opening in Oak Lawn
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Paisans Pizzeria is a step closer to opening in Oak Lawn with the approval of a liquor license for the establishment that will be part of the Stony Creek Promenade. Plans for the restaurant were originally approved at an Oak Lawn Village Board meeting in March of 2022. Tom Phelan,…
Palos Park residents, mosque reps discuss noise issues at council meeting
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva What could have been an explosive situation was actually quite civil. Some Palos Park residents were angry about loud activity and behavior of some members of the Palos Islamic Center the past two years and sounded off at the April 8 village council meeting. Fresh on their minds was noise…
Comings & Goings: Obbie’s Pizza to stay ‘unique and delicious’
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac Archer Avenue’s long-time king of pizzerias will continue to rule. Same recipes at Obbie’s Pizza, 6654 W. Archer. Same pizza and ingredients. Same pasta, broasted chicken, shrimp, perch, Italian beef/sausage/meatball sandwiches, sides and pop. Same seasoned, Middleby Marshall pizza oven built in 1947—the type of pizza oven every restaurant owner…
Stickney Public Health confirms measles case in Bedford Park
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Stickney Public Health District has confirmed that a person with measles related to the ongoing situation in the City of Chicago was at the Walmart Supercenter at 7050 S. Cicero Ave. in Bedford Park on Friday, March 22, roughly between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. Anybody who…
La Grange cancels Endless Summerfest over higher costs
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch It turns out the summer is not endless, at least not in La Grange. Endless Summerfest, a three-day event held the first weekend in August at Gordon Park for many years, will not be held this year. The cancelation was announced Tuesday in a joint new release from the La…
Neighbors
Orland Park Library collecting candy wrappers
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Candy has taken on a whole new life at one local library. The Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park, is happy to announce the launch of its very first Trash or Treasure candy wrapper recycling campaign. The Trash or Treasure program helps reduce the waste that…
Hickory Hills adds new police officer
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Hickory Hills Police Chief Jason Bray welcomed Andre Showers as the city’s newest police officer during last week’s city council meeting. Aldermen and the community at the April 11 meeting helped celebrate the induction of the Showers, 21. He’s an Army veteran and a 2023 Cook County Correctional Camp graduate…
Marist celebrates cultural diversity
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Marist High School appreciates the wide array of culture that walks its campus hallways on a daily basis. In order to celebrate, the high school, 4200 W. 115th St., Chicago, hosted its second annual Celebration of Culture on March 14. During the free event, students, faculty and staff represented their…
Palos Heights Knights of Columbus donate to GiGi’s Playhouse
Spread the loveGrand Knight John Laskey and Past Grand Knight Brian Mellenthin of St. Theodore Guerin Knights of Columbus Council 14057 presented a check for $1,500 to GiGi’s Playhouse of Tinley Park, one of several donations to local groups resulting from the Knights of Columbus’ Fall Tootsie Roll Drive. One of the most recognizable activities…
Worth police join task force to combat auto thefts
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle An agreement has been reached between the villages of Worth and Thornton regarding participation in the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force. Worth Police Chief Tim Denton said the approval of the memorandum to participate in the task force is necessary. “It’s no secret that there has been an increase…
A simple idea for Earth Day
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Moving right along through April, as the days get longer and nicer, time will start to go by faster. We have Earth Day on April 22 and the start of Passover at sunset.…
Bingo at St. Clare was something to yell about
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Recently I mentioned a bingo fundraiser the Augustinian Young Adults of St. Rita of Cascia Parish were holding. This was their first attempt at a bingo and they put on a really nice event. Held…
One thing is certain: life goes on
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . I get a lot of calls from residents who are discouraged about our neighborhood. There are so many car accidents, shootings and violent crimes being committed in West Lawn and surrounding areas. It certainly is challenging to stay hopeful and positive. Here is a paragraph…
Biz groups battle over names, logos
Spread the love. UBAM, MCC trade barbs . By Dermot Connolly and Tim Hadac The leader of one Midway-area business association is accusing the other of bad faith, and the leader of the other is scratching her head over the dustup. United Business Association of Midway Executive Director Anita Cummings recently claimed that a rival…