* 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.