The Midwest Paces the Nation in Population Loss

"Two Illinois cities, Rockford and Decatur, are among the fastest-shrinking cities in the country, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, part of an ongoing trend of Midwestern cities losing residents while cities across the Southwest and West continue to grow," reports Patrick M. O'Connell.

Four out five of the largest cities in the United States with the largest population losses since 2010 are in the Midwest, according to O'Connell: "Detroit has lost the most people, about 43,000, since 2010, followed by Baltimore, St. Louis, Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio."

Returning the focus of the discussion to mid-sized Midwestern cities, O'Connell provides the following explanation for population loss in cities like Rockford and Decatur:

David Wilson, professor of geography and urban planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said Illinois cities like Rockford and Decatur are suffering from structural, systematic forces in the new postindustrial economy. Midsize Midwestern cities in particular, especially those in the so-called Rust Belt that relied on manufacturing, have been hurt in recent years by a lack of federal aid for municipalities and a closure or movement of industrial companies, which leads to higher local taxes and a lack of jobs that can provide for a middle class life.