HIGHWAY.
THANK YOU.
IT'S FOUR MONTHS LATER THAN
USUAL BUT THE RESULTS FROM LAST
YEAR'S NATIONAL CENSUS ARE OUT.
AMANDA VINICKY JOINS US NOW TO
SHARE WHAT THE DATA SHOWS FOR
OUR REGION.
SOME SURPRISING NUMBERS HERE,
PERHAPS?
>> MAYBE.
GETTING BACK TO WHEN THIS CAME
OUT IT IS TRUE THAT THE
INFORMATION IS DELAYED VERSUS A
NORMAL YEAR BUT 2020 WAS NOT A
NORMAL YEAR.
AND SOCIOLOGIST CYNTHIA BUCKELY
SAYS ALL THINGS CONSIDERED IT IS
AN INCREDIBLE FEAT TO HAVE
PULLED OFF A CENSUS DURING A
GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
BUCKLEY A CENSUS EXPERT A
DEMOGRAPHER AND SPENT THE SUMMER
WORKING AS AN ENUMERATOR.
>> REMEMBERING LAST SUMMER
WORKING AND HOW HARD IT WAS TO
KEEP YOUR MASKS IN THE CONTEXT
OF NO VACCINES AND NOT A LOT OF
GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE COVID
PANDEMIC GOING FROM DOOR-TO-DOOR
TO EITHER CHECK CENSUS FORMS
SUBMITTED OR TO ENCOURAGE SOME
OF OUR FELLOW ILLINOISIANS TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE CENSUS.
>> FOR POLITICAL REASONS THERE
WAS HESITANCY BUT DESPITE THE
PANDEMIC AND THE OTHER
CHALLENGES, BUCKLEY SAYS IT
APPEARS THE CENSUS GOT AN
ACCURATE COUNT.
DEMOGRAPHERS, POLITICIANS,
COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS, REPORTERS
WAITING FOR THIS INFORMATION TO
COME OUT.
AND THAT IS BECAUSE IT
DETERMINES A LOT.
EVERYTHING FROM HOW FUNDING FOR
THE STATE HOW MUCH FUNDING THE
STATE GETS FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT HOW MUCH MONEY GOES
TO PARTICULAR PROGRAMS MAYBE HOW
MUCH MONEY WILL BE GOING INTO
EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM THAT
SPEAK MANDARIN AND WHICH
ALDERMEN ARE ELECTED BECAUSE IT
IS A FACTOR OF THE DISTRICTS
THEY RUN IN.
AND IT'S BRAGGING RIGHTS LIKE
BECAUSE OF THE CENSUS, CHICAGO
IS PROOF IT CAN MAINTAIN ITS
STATUS AS THE THIRD LARGEST CITY
IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND THAT SHOULD MAKE CHICAGOANS
HAPPY.
>> THE MAYOR OUGHT TO BE HAPPY.
THE ALL 50 ALDERMEN OUGHT TO BE
HAPPY EVERYBODY SHOULD BE HAPPY
BECAUSE WE BOUNCED UP BY 2% AND
WE CAME OFF A DECADE WHERE WE
HAD DECLINED LAST TIME THE CITY
WENT DOWN BY 6% AND EVERYBODY IS
LIKE WHAT IS HAPPENING TO
CHICAGO?
AND NOW WE'VE GOT GROWTH.
>> NOT JUST THE CITY PROPER THE
COUNTIES SAW GROWTH, TOO.
KENDELL COUNTY WHICH AT ONE
POINT WAS THE FASTEST GROWING
PRAISE IN THE NATION IT WAS THE
ONLY COUNTY TO SEE THE
DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH AT 15%.
>> IT IS A BIG DAY FOR THE
METROPOLITAN AREA.
AGAIN NOT ENORMOUS NUMBERS WE
ARE NOT GROWING LIKE HOUSTON OR
TAMPA OR LIKE PHOENIX.
BUT ALMOST EVERY COUNTY IN THE
METRO AREA GREW BY AT LEAST A
PERCENT OR TWO.
AND HERE IS THE BIGGEST
SURPRISE.
COOK COUNTY, COOK COUNTY, PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN SO DOWN ON THIS AREA,
THE POPULATION.
AND BLAMING COOK COUNTY FOR THIS
OR THAT.
COOK COUNTY ADDED 80,000 PEOPLE
OVER THE DECADE.
>> NOW, THAT SORT OF GROWTH NOT
THE CASE THROUGHOUT THE REST OF
THE STATE.
ILLINOIS WAS ONLY ONE OF THE FEW
TO HAVE GOT MENTIONED DURING A
WEB PRESENTATION BY THE U.S.
CENSUS BUREAU WHEN IT MADE THE
NUMBERS PUBLIC.
>> THERE WERE FEWER STATES IN
THE HIGHEST GROWTH CATEGORY MOST
STATES GROWING SLOWLY AND WEST
VIRGINIA AND MISSISSIPPI AND
ILLINOIS ALONG WITH PUERTO RICO
DECLINED IN POPULATION.
>> BUT BUCKLEY SAYS ILLINOIS IS
JUST BARELY IN THE RED.
SHE SAYS IT'S ALMOST A ROUNDING
ERROR IN TERMS OF POPULATION
LOSS WE DID HAVE EVERY COUNTY
SEEING DECLINES.
AND ON ACCOUNT OF THAT ILLINOIS
IS GOING TO LOSE THAT ONE SEAT
IN CONGRESS.
BUCKLEY SAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT
THAT ISN'T AS MUCH BECAUSE OF
ILLINOIS' POPULATION LOSS, AS IT
IS GROWTH ELSEWHERE.
>> TEXAS, AND FLORIDA AND OTHER
STATES WERE REALLY
EXTRAORDINARILY FAST.
AND SO WE RAN THE RACE.
IT'S NOT AS IF WE RAN BACKWARDS.
IT'S THAT WE WERE IN A RACE WITH
PEOPLE WHO HAD MUCH FASTER
GROWTH RATES.
>> NOW, AGAIN, THESE ARE SOME OF
THE TOP LINE TAKEAWAYS.
NEITHER HAD THAT MUCH TIME TO
LOOK OVER THE WEALTH OF
INFORMATION AND STATS BETWEEN
WHEN IT WAS RELEASED AT NOON AND
WHEN HE TALKED TO THEM AFTER.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER
TAKEAWAYS FOR ONE, THE NATION
WHOLE LOT MORE RACIALLY DIVERSE
AS IS ILLINOIS.
AND ESPECIALLY COOK COUNTY.
BUT AGAIN THAT DOESN'T HOLD TRUE
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE.
BUCKLEY SAYS THE 2010 CENSUS
SHOWED THERE WERE 40 COUNTIES
WITH WHAT IS CALLED A DIVERSITY
INDEX THAT SHOWED THE POPULATION
WAS NEARLY ALL WHITE.
FAST FORWARD A DECADE, AND SHE
SAYS NOW 11 COUNTIES ARE MEETING
THAT HYPER SEGREGATED CRITERIA.
IN SHORT IT SHOWS THAT THE AREAS
OF THE STATE THAT USED TO HAVE A
RACIALLY PROFILE PARTICULARLY
DOWN STATE ARE SHOWING MORE
DIVERSITY.
>> WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE
STEREOTYPE OF ILLINOIS THAT
RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES ARE
CONCENTRATED IN THE CHICAGOLAND
REGION AND AS YOU MOVE SOUTH
THAT IT IS A MUCH MORE RACIALLY
HOME GENIUS LANDSCAPE CERTAINLY
THE PERCENT OF PEOPLE
IDENTIFYING AS WHITE ONLY IS
STILL FAR DOMINANT IN THE STATE.
AND THAT IS THE LARGEST GROUP IN
THE CHICAGOLAND REGION AS WELL.
BUT THE PICTURE IS GETTING MORE
COMPLEX.
>> AS I HINTED BEFORE THE
BREAKDOWNS, THEY ARE ALL WHAT IS
USED TO DRAW POLITICAL DISTRICT
BOUNDARIES.
YOU DID HAVE ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS
GOING AHEAD AND DREW STATE
LEGISLATIVE MAPS WITHOUT THIS
REDISTRICTING CENSUS INFORMATION
AND THAT LED TO A COUPLE OF
STILL ONGOING LAWSUITS.
HE EXPECTS LEGISLATORS WILL HAVE
TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
BECAUSE THEY WERE DONE WITH AN
UNDER COUNT GIVING THE
SURPRISING GROWTH NUMBERS.
AND YOU HAVE LAWMAKERS HAVING TO
GO AHEAD AND DRAW CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICTS AND CHICAGO WILL ALSO
BE GETTING UNDERWAY WITH THIS
INFORMATION DRAWING NEW WARD
MAPS.
IT SHOWS LOSSES IN THE CITY'S
SOUTH AND WEST SIDES.
I DID CALL A SUM OF STATE
LEGISLATORS TO SEE WHAT THIS
INFORMATION MIGHT DO AND THEY
SAID IT'S TOO FRESH NO REAL
INSIGHT WHETHER THEY WILL BE
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD OR A
TIMELINE FOR THE MAPS.
BUT BELIEVE THAT FOLKS ARE