<div class="body"><p>For the 3rd consecutive year the Chicago metropolitan area has experienced a decrease in population. According to 2017 data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 13,286 residents left the region last year – even more than the 11,177 who left in 2016, and the 3,371 in 2015. While the Chicago metropolitan area (which includes the city, its suburbs and extends into parts of Wisconsin and Indiana) still ranks as the 3rd most populous metropolitan area in the U.S., it was the only one of the country’s top 10 to face a population decline.</p><p>Even more alarming is the U.S. Census data showing that Cook County lost 20,093 residents last year. While it remains the nation’s second most populous county, it faced the biggest drop in population of the nation’s top 10 counties.</p><p>It is obvious from the Census data that the state of Illinois and Cook County are experiencing a massive migration of residents to other regions. And rising property taxes are one cause of the mass exodus.</p><p>A Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll released in October 2016 found that rising taxes were the number 1 reason Illinois residents wanted to leave the state. That same year Forbes ranked the state of Illinois as number 46 on its list of worst states for taxes. A 2017 study from USA Today revealed that Illinois had the 2nd highest property tax rates in the country.</p><p>Since then, property taxes have only continued to rise while salaries have remained stagnant. In fact residential property taxes have grown at a rate of 3.3 time faster than the average Illinois household income.</p><p>Cook County’s outrageous property taxes mean residents will continue to see slow economic growth and fewer jobs created in coming years. So it comes as no surprise that Illinois residents have begun moving to states with lower tax rates. But in addition to worsening an already sluggish economy, the state’s fleeing population will have other effects as well.</p><p>One troubling result of a decreasing Illinois population is diminished political representation at the federal level. According to political experts, if the current depopulation trends continue, Illinois could lose as many as two United States congressional seats following the 2020 census. Illinois has already lost six congressional seats since 1980.</p><p>To prevent even more residents from leaving Illinois, we at Citizens For Fair Property Taxes encourage Illinois lawmakers to rethink any further tax increases.</p></div>