* Again, we’ll get to demographics in a bit. Brenden Moore…

All but 14 of Illinois’ 102 counties experienced population decline this past decade, but the distribution was uneven, with eight counties in populous northeastern Illinois (Cook County, the five suburban “collar” counties and exurban Grundy and Kendall counties) combining for nearly 149,000 in population growth. […]

With state legislative Democrats controlling the [remap] process, it is likely conservative downstate will lose representation as the party seeks to maximize its political advantage, which lately has been the Chicago suburbs.

“That’s the area that has become the political battleground,” Redfield said. “If the Democrats are gaining ground in the suburbs and losing ground downstate or the Republicans are gaining ground downstate and losing ground in the suburbs, then those demographic trends obviously favor the Democrats.”

* Tribune…

“Some of the narratives we have of decline haven’t really been that accurate,” Paral said. “The suburban portion grew too — barely — but it held its own.” […]

Perhaps a partial reflection of the slowing suburban trend lines, Chicago’s growth came during a decade when the city poached dozens of corporate headquarters from nearby suburbs and saw an influx of young professionals and baby boomers snapping up condos and apartments in and near downtown. […]

Since 1950, the Chicago suburbs in many cases have experienced rapid, double-digit growth, decade over decade. Prior to the 2020 census, 8% marked the smallest population increase for suburban Cook combined with the five surrounding collar counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will.

Over the last decade, those suburbs grew collectively by just 1.4%.

Paral, however, noted that while the growth was smaller, all of the counties in the region did increase their individual populations — including suburban Cook County, which he said is beset with some struggling suburbs that make it more prone to population loss.

* WBEZ…

Suburban areas grew at roughly the same pace as Chicago. Suburban Cook County and the five collar counties — DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties — each witnessed growth of less than 3%. […]

Aurora remains the second-largest city in Illinois, but it saw a steep drop in population, falling from about 198,000 in 2010 to about 181,000 in 2020, according to the data released Thursday. With more than 150,000 residents, Joliet has overtaken Rockford as the state’s third-largest city. Naperville ranks fourth, and Rockford slides to fifth.

* Naperville Sun…

Naperville grew by 5% over the past decade, bringing its population to 149,540, according to 2020 U.S. Census Bureau statistics released Thursday. […]

Newly released census data also shows the populations in DuPage and Will counties rose 2% and 3% respectively over the 10 years. Both counties encompass a portion of Naperville.

DuPage remains the second largest county in the state with 932,877 residents, up from 916,924 in 2010. That gives it a population density of 2,845.9 people per square mile.

Will County is the fourth largest in Illinois. With 696,355 residents counted in 2020, compared to 677,560 in 2010, it has a population density of 833.1 people per square mile.

* Beacon News…

Aurora kept its standing as the second-largest city in Illinois, but its population decreased by around 17,000 residents over the past decade, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released Thursday. […]

Aurora officials are concerned about a possible serious undercount of residents during the census, and are doing a deeper dive into the numbers.

Aurora had a number of outreach efforts designed to get people to take part in the census, including a census day in late September 2020 where city officials and volunteers hit the streets in some of the city’s harder-to-count areas in hopes of getting as many people counted as possible before the Sept. 30, 2020, census deadline.

City officials have pointed out in the past that each person that goes uncounted costs the city about $1,800 in lost gas, sales and income tax from the state, as well as in federal funding. That adds up to $18,000 a person when figured over the next 10 years.