•January 9, 2019•

By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist

A recent lead editorial in the Wall Street Journal contrasted the double-digit population growth in Florida and Texas over the past decade with the bottom-of-the-rung decline of almost 1 percent in Illinois.
Can Gov.-elect J. B. Pritzker reverse the population outflow and relative economic decline of our state, and how?
First, some context. The Illinois economy has been declining relative to the nation since shortly after World War II, and the net out-migration of our population, especially of whites, has been going on almost as long. In 1950, the Illinois per capita income stood at 130 percent of the national average (100 percent). Since then, our state has seen a slow but steady decline, to about 104 percent. We are still above average, but just a bit.
Years ago, I reviewed our state’s demographic mix and found that from 1970 to 2000, our state saw a net out-migration (more people leaving than coming in, net) of two million whites, many to the sunny climes, job opportunities and low taxes of the South and Southwest. This net outflow has continued, I’m confident.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.