SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Census Bureau says all those people who think people are leaving the State of Illinois in droves, might be wrong.
The Census Bureau Thursday released what they call “overcount” and “undercount” rates by state.
And, as it turns out, Illinois was one of the states where population was estimated to be undercounted by about two percent.
That means Illinois population likely grew by 250,000, and the state believes it’s now above 13,000,000 for the first time in history.
Governor JB Pritzker is celebrating that, saying in a news release while it’s disappointing the numbers were not reflected initially, he looks forward to, “celebrating this development with all Illinoisans, including those who routinely badmouth our state.”
The largest undercount was the population of Arkansas, by more than five percent — one of six states with undercounts.
Eight states had population overcounts — the largest was Hawaii, by almost seven percent.
