Here’s How Illinois' Population Changed Between 2016 And 2017

ILLINOIS — A majority of 2017’s fastest growing cities in the United States are in the south and seven of the country’s 15 fastest growing cities are in Texas, according to new population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.

The Census also released a list of the 15 cities with the largest population gains and a majority of those cities were also in the south. The population estimates released Thursday are for cities, boroughs, villages towns and townships and are current as of July 1, 2017.

Illinois' population as of July 1, 2017 was 12,802,023, according to the Census. That’s a decrease of 33,703 to the state’s population between 2016 and 2017 and a growth rate of -0.3 percent. For comparison, the nation’s growth rate was 0.7 percent.

Here’s how the population changed in Illinois towns between 2016 and 2017:

• Cook County had the largest population decrease, with more than 20,000 residents leaving.
• With the exception of a few counties, most saw their population decrease rather than increase.
• McHenry County saw the largest population increase, with 1,150 new residents.

The Census also released new information on housing units. According to the Census, the nation’s housing stock grew by more than 1 million between 2016 and 2017, reaching over 137 million units. The growth rate of 0.8 percent was slower than the 1.4 percent growth rate a decade ago, between 2006 and 2007.

Illinois' housing stock grew to 5,359,557 housing units between 2016 and 2016, adding 14,327 units. The state’s growth rate for housing units was 0.3 percent, which was below the nation’s growth rate of 0.8 percent.