If you’ve been living in Illinois for a while, you’ve probably seen the occasional headline about the so-called ‘Illinois exodus' -- our residents picking up and leaving the state for places like Indiana, or maybe warmer climates like Florida or Texas. According to the latest estimate from the Census Bureau, Illinois’ population decreased by more than 51,000 people in 2019. That’s the sixth consecutive year of decline.  The numbers might seem a little startling, but how concerned should we really be about our state’s population loss? 

On Today's 21st: Illinois lost more residents than any other state last decade. But how big of a problem is population loss, and what can communities do about it?  One way to counter the trend is accepting more refugees into Illinois. We heard from public and private groups trying to do just that. And, there’s a growing market for plant based meat that tastes and looks like the real thing. We talked about what the future might look like for soy based meats here in Illinois. 

Illinois continues to lose residents, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau released in April. Overall, around 45,000 fewer people lived in the state in 2018 than 2017, a loss of about 0.4%.

Illinois’ population loss could be a warning for larger changes to come.