People are moving to Illinois from these states the most, Census data shows

Illinois saw modest net population growth from July 2024 to July 2025, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, but where are new residents coming from?

The Census Bureau estimated Illinois had 12,719,141 residents as of July 1, 2025, up by 16,108 individuals compared to the previous year. The state’s population is still down compared to 2020, but saw some recovery in last year.

A handful of states are leading in moves to Illinois, including some in the Midwest, as well as the South.

One Illinois city is leading the state and landed in 27th in the nation for growth in high-income households. Joliet saw a 53.5% increase in the number of high-income households from 2023 to 2024, according to a recent report from financial website SmartAsset.

Out of the state’s 102 counties, only 15 saw net gains in resident population from 2020 to 2024, including Kendall, Champaign, Grundy, McHenry and Will.

Three southern Illinois counties landed among the top five in the state for population decline over the four-year period, with Alexander, Pulaski, Gallatin, Henderson and Greene counties losing the greatest percentage of residents.

Here’s what to know about migration to and from Illinois in 2024, the most recent year for which Census data is available.

Where are new Illinois residents coming from?

Here’s a roundup of the top 10 states with movers to Illinois in 2024, according to the Census Bureau:

1. Texas: 18,189 movers to Illinois

2. California: 15,128

3. Wisconsin: 14,131

4. Indiana: 14,098

5. Florida: 12,751

6. New York: 11,082

7. Missouri: 10,892

8. Michigan: 9,418

9. Ohio: 7,372

10. Iowa: 6,721

Some of the same states that saw the greatest number of residents move to Illinois also made the list for top states Illinois residents are moving to. Indiana was the No. 1 destination state for former Illinois residents, with 25,727 movers, with Florida, Wisconsin, Texas, California, Missouri, Michigan, Tennessee, Iowa and Arizona rounding out the top 10.

The Census Bureau reports Illinois was the sixth-most populous state last year, behind California, Texas, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania.

Note: An AI tool assisted with organizing the data for this story. A Belleville News-Democrat journalist reviewed the data and wrote the story. It was also edited by a BND editor. You can read more about our AI policy here.

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Meredith Howard

Belleville News-Democrat

Meredith Howard is a service journalist with the Belleville News-Democrat. She is a Baylor University graduate and has previously freelanced with the Illinois Times and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Support my work with a digital subscription