Illinois’ population is aging ‘faster’ than the rest of the country, editorial warns

Illinois’ population of young people is dwindling, an editorial from the Chicago Tribune warned.

“A dwindling youth population means shrinking potential — not just economically, but in civic energy, creativity, and community life. That’s bad news for a state that depends on young people to power its workforce and its future,” the editorial stated.

The Tribune’s editorial board described the conditions of an aging population in Illinois, adding that the Prairie State is “aging faster than the rest of the country.” 

The board urged Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D., to take action on the issue, citing that the state “desperately” needs to “retain and attract young people.” Pritzker signed legislation making college more accessible and affordable.

The move came after Pritzker cited the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s research showing that nearly half of the state’s high school graduates were fleeing to colleges outside the state and not returning.

“There is a 70% likelihood that when they get to whatever that university is outside of Illinois, they’re not coming back,” Pritzker said at a news conference in March. “That’s a real problem, so we want to keep our best and brightest in the state.”

Other factors are driving the state’s aging population.

Illinois’ retiree population is growing. Currently, the median age is 39.4, five years older than in 2000, according to the editorial.

That is “rising steadily,” the board added. However, the state was younger than the rest of the country, on average, by 25 years.

The number of “prime-age working adults” declined in Illinois by 1% from 2020 to 2024, while the rest of the country increased by 2%. 

The board detailed the cause of the declining population of young people is due to population loss, “outmigration,” and low birth rates. 

“Illinois faces a demographic double bind. Not only are fewer women of childbearing age remaining in the state because of persistent outmigration, but those who stay are having fewer children than their counterparts elsewhere. Our birth rate already lags behind most states — particularly those in the South and West — and the gap is growing,” the Tribune wrote. “The long-term implications for our workforce, tax base, and economic vitality are hard to ignore.”