Illinois Lost More Residents In 2024 Than Only One Other State

Over the last ten years, residents of Illinois could have been waving giant foam fingers and chanting "We're number-one! We're number-one!," but now, at least for a year, we don't get to say that. Another state does.

Granted, waving the big index finger and chanting about being number-one when the topic is states that lost the most residents to other states would be a very strange flex, but we don't have much in this state to chant "we're number-one" about--other than leading the Midwest in unemployment numbers and the weight of the governor.

Let's take a look at who topped us in residents heading for the exits, and while we're at it, which states are leading the country with new people moving in.

While Illinois Is Near The Top When It Comes To Outbound Moves By Residents (We're #2), A State That Once Lead The Nation In Inbound Migration Now Leads In Outbound Migration

As the late, great Jimmy Buffet once sang about this state, "They got riots and fires and mudslides, they got sushi in the mall."

The "they" that Jimmy is talking about is California, the most populated state in the country (at least for now), with 39 million residents. For perspective, here are the top three most populated states, along with their numbers:

1. California: 39 million
2. Texas: 31 million
3. Florida: 23 million

California takes the number-one spot for people leaving in The 2024 North American Van Lines Annual Migration Report, with only 38 percent of the moves there being inbound, and 61 percent of the moves being outbound. That bumps Illinois to the number-two spot with inbound moves at 40 percent, and outbound moves at 60 percent.

When People Leave Illinois, The Number-One Reason Cited Is Taxes--But Where Do Former Illinoisans Go When They Leave The Land Of Lincoln?

The quick and easy answers most people give are usually Arizona, Texas, and Florida. While it's true that some former Illinois residents do head for those states, there are others that Illinoisans are being attracted to.

TheCenterSquare.com:

The company said it examined several metrics, including researching population reports and getting input from top companies in the moving industry to gain insider knowledge.

Marketing director Ryan Cox said ever since Gov. J.B. Pritzker locked down Illinois with COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, Illinoisans have been flocking to one specific area of the country.

"The top inbound states are North and South Carolina, Idaho, Tennessee and Georgia, and a lot of people from Illinois are actually moving to the Carolinas,” said Cox.