Two Illinois cities, Rockford and Decatur, are among the fastest-shrinking cities in Illinois and in the country.

The trend is nothing new, people have been leaving the Midwest pretty steadily for a while now. What? You don't like experiencing every season's weather in one day?

Apparently a lot of people don't and they're leaving the Midwest. According to WIFR -

Rockford comes in at No. 15 on that list in declining population since the 2010 census, according to the recently released 2019 population estimates. The northern Illinois city, the fifth-largest in the state with an estimated 145,609 residents, has lost 5 percent of its population during that nine-year period, according to the Chicago Tribune.

 

Rockford’s total population loss of 7,676 people over the last decade places it ninth nationwide among large cities. That's according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.

While the Midwest shrinks, the Southwest and West are growing. Turns out that's where all us Midwesterners are going.

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