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Population Loss Accelerating Under Rauner’s Failed Leadership
Illinois Loses 33,000 People, Falls Behind Pennsylvania In Size
Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released population estimates that showed Illinois is continuing to shrink under Governor Bruce Rauner. Over the past year, 33,703 people left the state. Illinois fell behind Pennsylvania and now is the 6th largest state in the nation. All of Illinois’ neighbors grew.
The rate of population loss has been accelerating under Rauner’s failed leadership:
- 2016-2017 – Lost 33,703
- 2015-2016 – Lost 26,325
- 2014-2015 – Lost 20,387
- 2013-2014 – Lost 7,965
- 2012-2013 – Gained 11,909
[US Census, Accessed 12/20/17]
Rauner made out-migration a campaign issue in 2014, and his inaugural address focused on population loss – “People are leavin’ to find jobs, or because they run companies, and they’re takin’ their jobs with `em.” Rauner continued, “One of the main reasons companies have been leaving Illinois is that they don’t have confidence in the financial condition of our state.”
Rauner’s solution? He plunged the state into a budget crisis that tripled the bill backlog, sunk the state’s bond rating, and forced a max exodus from the state’s colleges and universities. Unsurprisingly, more people are leaving the state than before he became Governor.