By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Chicago’s population increased by 22,000 in 2024. The bureau also adjusted 2023’s population upward in its new report, resulting in a net population increase of 15,000 for that year as well. That makes it two years in a row that Chicago’s population has increased after dropping for several years. You can see the small population increases in the last two years in the graphic below.
The question is, can we say “Chicago finally growing again,” like Crain’s Chicago just did in its coverage of the census numbers? Is that two-year growth a pattern that can be sustained?
The answer is no once you consider the one-time jump in illegal immigration as a result of Pres. Biden’s open border policy – and Chicago’s sanctuary status, the free bennies for immigrants and Gov. Abbott’s busing program.
The chart below shows the recent increase in net international immigration into Cook County. That number averaged just 16,000 a year over the past decade (2011-2019, see Appendix), but it jumped to 36,000 in 2022, 56,000 in 2023 and then 68,000 in 2024.
Now, to be precise, the numbers below are only for Cook County – the Census Bureau doesn’t break out or provide net international immigration numbers for Chicago alone. But even if we are generous and assume that only half of those migrants ended up in Chicago, without them, Chicago’s population would have shrunk in both 2023 and 2024.
And with the border now entirely closed, there’ll likely be fewer illegal immigrants to offset the outflow of Chicago residents to other states.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Open borders and sanctuaries are driving Illinois’ migrant chaos, not Trump’s deportations
- With the border closed, will Illinois finally cut spending on illegal immigrants?
- Four reasons why Chicago should end its sanctuary status
Appendix
Audio and summary 
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Calling this growth is just plain stupid. Busing 10’s of thousands of illegal immigrants, from God knows where, to Chicago to be a drain on every tax payer and every social service known to man for years and to have many of those in this group be criminals to boot…is of course a net loss. It isn’t an “investment” like the Pin Head and the Fat Man call it, it is a net loss. Period. They need to focus on the real numbers vs. just head count…head count in this case – is the problem.
Does “International Migration” = “illegal immigration”? Taxpayers want to see that figure – because it is hard to believe people would come to this state willingly without a bribe. The true number of migrants is likely much larger if this report only includes those immigrants we know through the federal system. Illinois should compare census numbers of residents with the freebies in health care and snap that are doled out. Guessing the people getting freebies would be significantly higher. Sure seems like the Illinois lawmakers will give freebies to anyone who isn’t a legal resident and only increases taxes on… Read more »
Maybe lower taxes, cut the budget, make schools and teachers teach, lower crime., and drop funding left identity policies. Maybe then IL taxpayers would stop fleeing the state. People might mine bake. Stop funding and protecting illegals. And no, al lot of IL taxpayers do not want to fund them to increase the IL population to keep JB in power.
We’re growing; just not in a good way. Think growth in the number of homeless in Cali for example.
We need Homan to get all the illegals out that are driving up all the costs to the state, the city, and schools.
So, “producing” members of society. Love it!!!!
Only JB would consider more wards of the state as a victory.
He is a disingenuous POS.