10 Illinois Towns Seeing the Sharpest Population Drops

While there are some narratives about residents fleeing Illinois that have been exaggerated, there are 10 places in the state that have lost more residents than others.

I researched the most recent data I could find to learn which Illinois places were losing population more than others. I found data from Illinois Policy and Declining Cities which revealed the locations in Illinois that are in some cases hemorrhaging population numbers.  Here are the top 10 or bottom depending on how you want to look at it:

While the numbers are accurate, they don't always tell the full story. While these 10 Illinois places have had many residents relocate, there are several that have already started to turnaround trends with falling crime rates and other factors that would cause someone to relocate. With many manufacturing jobs leaving Illinois, residents will go where their jobs (or lack thereof) take them. Time will tell if these 10 Illinois places will be able to turnaround the outbound trend. Let's hope that happens sooner rather than later.