Population stagnation in Illinois has been a perennial concern over the last 15 years. After gaining nearly a million and a half new residents between 1990 and 2010 due to robust international migration, labor force growth, higher birth rates, and suburban expansion, Illinois has had flat population growth since 2010. Demographic data show that the population stagnation in Illinois is driven by lower birth rates, increases in domestic out-migration to other states, and lower international migration – essentially a forestalling of the previous drivers of population growth.
