Chicago metro area gets older, less white
Thursday, Jun 20, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
The population of Cook County and six nearby suburban counties grew older and less white in the last year, reflecting broader national trends, according to new demographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Across the nation, more than 80% of counties grew older in the past year as the large baby boomer generation continues to age, according to a news release accompanying the new estimates for 2018. In all seven counties analyzed by the Tribune — Cook, Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will — the median age increased.
The percentage of white, non-Hispanic residents, meanwhile, decreased in those seven counties, though non-Hispanic whites continued to hold a majority in all Illinois counties except Cook.
Kane County had the second-lowest percentage of non-Hispanic white residents in the state, at 57%. There, Hispanic residents of all races made up nearly a third of the population. That group grew by 8%, or 13,487 people, since 2010, the census data shows.
Nationally, non-Hispanic whites represented 60.4 percent of the population in 2018, the Census Bureau reported. That’s down from 60.8 percent the previous year, as the white population shrank by 152,386 people.
Lots more in that article, so click here.
* Sun-Times…
From 2010 to 2018, [Cook County’s] African American population fell by 5.8% from 1,311,698 million to 1,236,170 — a loss of over 75,000 people.
Cook County’s white population also fell for the fourth year in a row, with the loss of about 21,000 people — a drop of 0.6%. […]
The Asian population, for one, has steadily increased. In 2018, the county’s Asian population reached 408,151. That was up more than 75,000 compared to 2010.
Hispanics also increased, with 78,000 more county residents since the 2010 census — a gain of more than 6%. That growth has slowed, however, to a modest 0.3% from 2017 to 2018.
…Adding… Press release…
Building on a record investment of $29 million for the 2020 Census, Governor JB Pritzker signed an executive order cementing the state’s comprehensive effort to ensure an accurate count in all communities across Illinois.
“In this year’s budget, we committed $29 million to prepare and execute the census in Illinois. That’s by far the largest per-person investment made in any state in the nation,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “These resources will go directly to outreach and education, with grants to community organizations across the state engaged in this work, particularly in our hard-to-count communities. This executive order will also establish a Census Office within our Department of Human Services to lead this effort and a Census Advisory Panel to guide its work. This is an aggressive effort because that is what the work ahead requires.”
Recognizing that a Census undercount could threaten Illinois’ representation in Congress and its share of federal funding, Executive Order 19-10 establishes a new Census Office within the Illinois Department of Human Services and a bipartisan, bicameral Census Advisory Panel to guide its work.
The Census Office will administer grant funding and conduct outreach and education to ensure an accurate and complete count. Led by two co-coordinators, the office will use the full force of all state agencies and departments to complete its work. The Department of Human Services will file public reports online on a monthly basis to detail its budget, expenditures and distributions of funds to organizations throughout Illinois.
The Census Advisory Panel is made up of 12 members appointed by the governor and legislative leaders and will focus its efforts on “hard to count” communities. Specifically, it will advise the Census Office on drafting and ensuring a wide distribution of the Notice of Funding Opportunity, coordinating with the Illinois Complete Count Commission and ensuring all communities receive communications during the 2020 Census.
The executive order follows a record $29 million investment for census implementation, the largest per-person allocation made in any state in the nation. It was appropriated in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, which was signed into law on June 5, 2019.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 11:48 am:
What will be more interesting is what will population be in 50 years. If 80 percent of counties are aging what if anything will replace population as boomers die? I get we are becoming more diverse but will it be a much smaller diverse total population?
Meanwhile I will enjoy the redistricting fight and hope I make it to the 2030 fight
- Nonbeliever - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 11:54 am:
Some interesting data for the state:
(in millions)
1980:
1980 11.426
White 8.911 million
Hispanic .635
Black 1.66
Asian .159
White 8.424
2000:
2000 12.419
White 8.424
Hispanic 1.530
Black 1.876
Asian .423
2018:
2018, July 1 12.741 (census quick facts estimate)
White 7.834
Hispanic 2.206
Black 1.790
Asian .689
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 12:04 pm:
To the Post,
What will be critically important in this census will be having all be willing to be counted, and not afraid to *be* counter.
While in DC, the partisan ways of trying to tamp down on anyone non-white from being counted, it’s a state like Illinois that will be hurt and states in the sunbelt where they can first show growth, but also scare others from being counted, that’s the sad goal DC pols of one party hope to achieve.
The reason, besides the given bigotry and racial reasons I reject immediately, I’m against this trying to dampen official numbers is, no matter party, Illinois is a “giver” state, sending more money than getting back, due in some part to, you guessed it, census numbers.
For budgetary necessities here, we in Illinois, all of us, can’t afford even lower numbers than the “exodus” that is already currently happpening.
Be leery of those so enamored with wanting to not count “everyone” or thinking the census is a way to scare folks, yikes, those folks do NOT have the best interests of Illinois at heart.
I’ll leave this here to close;
Illinois’ own statehood began by $&@#% the census numbers and acquiring enough land to be a state.
We were founded, ironically enough, by inflating a census. It’s important as a state we realize we need all counted. No different then at our state’s founding.
- Amalia - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 12:04 pm:
the redistricting conversations at all levels will be extremely difficult. while there is a difference in voting population and population of age to vote because of citizenship, the reality that the Hispanic population has overtaken that of African American in the state and grown in Chicago and Cook County no where near mirrors the political reality. whether this will factor into, say, Cook Coutywide races now, where the African American community is well represented, is another story.
- Looking down the Road - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 12:08 pm:
Looks like a declining tax base.
- Nonbeliever - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 12:34 pm:
“Looks like a declining tax base.”
At least, relatively speaking, that is what think also.
However raw numbers of people do not necessarily reflect the overall prosperity of a state/nation. Indeed, there can even be a reverse relationship.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 12:42 pm:
==If 80 percent of counties are aging what if anything will replace population as boomers die?==
In ten years 21% of US residents will be over 65. By 2060 one quarter of all US residents will be over 65. Who will do the work? This is why we need more immigration now. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/03/graying-america.html
- Former State Worker - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 12:44 pm:
=“Looks like a declining tax base.”
At least, relatively speaking, that is what think also.
However raw numbers of people do not necessarily reflect the overall prosperity of a state/nation. Indeed, there can even be a reverse relationship.=
This doesn’t really reflect what’s going on, however:
https://capitolfax.com/2019/05/07/april-revenue-stunner-15-billion-higher-than-expected-fy19-hole-filled-pritzker-cancels-planned-pension-holiday/
This tells me that the people leaving are low-income and/or exempt from Illinois taxation because they primarily receive retirement income.
Thus, the lower population doesn’t necessarily equate to an eroding tax base.
- Rabid - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 12:45 pm:
That’s what happens when out of towners buy, locals buy buffer mansions
- VerySmallRocks - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 12:46 pm:
Meanwhile, the population bottom has dropped out on rural counties.
- Jocko - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 1:14 pm:
This explains the GOP outreach efforts…like the 2020 census. /s
- lincoln's beard - Thursday, Jun 20, 19 @ 3:39 pm:
=== Chicago metro area gets older, less white ===
Hey, me too