Peoria County is part of a porous Illinois that has seen thousands of residents leave in recent years, according to statistics the vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute tweeted recently.
Michael Lucci said the county lost more than 2,604 residents between mid-2015 and mid-2016. Peoria County ranked fourth on a list of the 10 Illinois counties with the highest rates of outmigration.
Lucci, who joined the Institute in 2013 with a background as an analyst and trader in the finance industry, said data show that 93 of the state’s 102 counties -- 91 percent -- are part of a trend toward outmigration.
A recent Chicago Tribune article also highlighted data showing that Illinois saw more residents leave its borders than any other state in 2014, when 11,961 residents left; in 2015, when 28,497 residents left; and in 2016, when 37,508 residents left.
Outmigration is a dangerous trend, according to the article, as it leads to lost revenues for the state and local governments. Federal and state funding is often based on population, and with smaller populations come smaller tax pools -- a significant issue when local governments take on projects expecting their taxpayer population to grow.
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