St. Clair and Madison counties are suffering the fate of many other counties in Illinois – declining populations as the result of out-migration.
Between July 2016 to July 2017, St. Clair County’s population dropped by 641 with more than 1,300 people moving to other counties; and Madison County’s population dropped by 170 with nearly 400 people moving to other counties, an article from Illinois Policy said.
Decreased population from out-migration has become a trend in the Metro East region and the state as a whole. More than 22,000 individuals on net left St. Clair and Madison counties combined from 2010 to 2017. Data from the 2017 U.S. Census Bureau found Illinois was losing one resident every 4.6 minutes to other states.
Missouri has been a popular state where Illinois residents have relocated, the Illinois Policy article said. Illinois had a net loss of nearly 73,000 Illinoisans to Missouri from 2006 through 2015, translating to a loss of about 20 Illinois residents per day. Almost 9,000 residents were lost to Missouri in 2015 alone.
While Illinois is a forced-unionization state it is surrounded by worker freedom states. For instance, Missouri recently became the 28th state to pass right-to-work legislation, which allows workers to have the choice to join and pay union membership fees and dues. In forced-unionization states, workers can be fired if they refuse to pay union dues. Right-to-work states have proven to generate growth in terms of jobs and income.
In addition to the job environment, rising taxes is another reason Illinois residents are fleeing to other areas.
“If state and local officials care about retaining residents and making sure the Metro East thrives, they need to reject new tax hikes and roll back past ones,” Joe Kaiser writes in the Illinois Policy article. “Both state and local governments need to get serious about the exodus of Illinoisans. Reforming out-of-control spending and lowering the state’s crippling tax burden would help keep residents not just in Metro East, but statewide.”
Residents in St. Clair and Madison counties are struggling to keep up with state spending and have seen minimal growth in their personal incomes. Per capita state spending increased at an annual average of 3.9 percent from 2005 to 2015 while per capita income only grew at an annual average of 2.8 percent between both counties.
Income tax hikes have placed more burdens on Illinois residents with the one in 2011 causing the state to lose 9,300 jobs, nearly $56 billion in economic activity and a decline in the quality of jobs. A 32 percent income tax hike was implemented in 2017. A progressive tax proposal is currently in the works that would increase income taxes for Illinois residents earning an annual income of just $17,300.
Property taxes are also an issue with all of the counties in the Metro East region ranking in the top 50 for highest median property tax paid in the state, and St. Clair and Madison counties ranking among the 25 highest.
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