Metro East Sun

St. Clair County ranks seventh on a list of Illinois counties that lost the most residents to outmigration between mid-2015 and mid-2016, according to a U.S. Census Bureau chart released recently.

The chart, sent out by Michael Lucci of the Illinois Policy Institute, shows St. Clair lost 1,910 residents in that time. The county was among 93 of Illinois' 102 counties dealing with domestic outmigration -- meaning residents leaving one state for another.

The Chicago Tribune said that the Chicago metro area was the only one of the 10 largest such areas in the country to lose residents in 2016. It saw 19,570 residents leave in 2016 and 11,324 depart in 2015.

Areas that lose people are also likely to lose state and federal funding, the Tribune said. Since funding is often tied to populations, a loss of residents means a loss of money -- and taxpayers might be called upon to make up shortfalls.

"Illinois should be one of the fastest-growing states," Eleni Demertzis, a spokeswoman for Gov. Bruce Rauner, said in an email. "Instead, people are leaving. That is why Gov. Rauner is working so hard to pass a truly balanced budget in order to make changes that attract employers and create good jobs."