Chicago Population Declining in New Census Data

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 16, 2011 2:00PM

Population Shifts in Illinois, 2000-2010. Courtesy U.S. Census Bureau

Chicago's population dropped 6.9 percent in ten years, according to data released yesterday by the Census Bureau. The new Census data also indicates that Chicago's loss is the gain of the collar counties.

Chicago's estimated population of 2,695,598 is a dropoff from 2000's number of 2,896,016. But major suburban cities throughout the area saw significant spikes in population. Joliet's population (147,433) grew by 38.8 percent; Aurora saw a 38.4 percent increase in its population to 197,899; Naperville's population increased 10.5 percent to 141,853. Will, Kane and McHenry counties also saw increases in population. Will County saw the biggest growth, increasing its population by nearly 35 percent the past decade, reflecting the growth of its biggest city - Joliet.

The state Legislature can use the newly released Census data to realign congressional and state legislative districts in Illinois to reflect the population shifts the past decade.