Thinking Of Leaving Illinois? Here’s Where Everyone Is Headed

“If you’re the last one left in Illinois, do us a favor and turn out the lights and lock the door on your way out.”

I actually saw those words last week on the back window of the vehicle in front of me at a stoplight.

You've probably heard the old adage that there's a grain of truth in all humor. In this case, there might be more truth than humor when it comes to Illinois residents bailing on the Land of Lincoln.

The state of Illinois has been experiencing one of the highest outbound migration rates in the nation, and the trend shows no signs of slowing. We're highest in the Midwest, and third in the nation.

Why Are So Many People Leaving Our State?

First off, let's put a finer point on the "so many people" part.

Between April 1st, 2020 and April 1st, 2024, approximately 418,056 Illinois residents left the state for other parts of the United States. To put that into perspective, the least populated state in the nation is Wyoming, where they have about 590,000 people.

Breaking it down a bit more, during the same time period Illinois gained around 280,000 people, mostly through international migration.

Now, back to the question of why so many Illinoisans want out of our state:

The reasons aren’t hard to find. A recent poll revealed that 51% of Illinoisans say they’d leave if they could, and the top reason cited was high taxes. In fact, 36% of those eyeing the exit pointed to the tax burden as their main motivation, followed by crime and public safety (17%) and cost of living (12%). Job opportunities and retirement also rank high on the list of factors driving people to pack their bags.

These Three States Are The Top Destinations For People Leaving Illinois

If your guess was that all three states would be in the Sun Belt, you're in for a surprise because only one of the three can be considered a Sun Belt state (and it's in second place of the three states).

Here's where Illinoisans are moving when they leave our state:

Indiana: From 2023 data (covering July 2023–June 2024), Indiana was the most frequent destination, with approximately 29,426 Illinois residents making the move. Census and media reports consistently rank Indiana at or near the top as a destination due to its proximity to Illinois and lower cost of living.

Florida: In the same 2023 dataset, 27,109 Illinoisans relocated to Florida, making it the second-most popular destination.

Wisconsin: It seems that Illinoisans are taking the "Escape To Wisconsin" bumper-stickers a bit too literally. Wisconsin claimed 26,943 former Illinois residents in 2023.