ST. LOUIS — Tens of thousands of people packed up and moved out of Missouri and Illinois from 2021 to 2022, and now, we're seeing where they went thanks to new data.
The U.S. Census Bureau released migration data for 2022 estimating more than 150,000 left Missouri and more than 340,000 left Illinois from 2021 into 2022. While many of the movers went from Illinois to Missouri and vice versa, others headed out of the Bi-State.
Other top states where Missourians moved were Kansas, Texas, Florida and Arizona. Florida, Oklahoma, Colorado and Georgia. The top spots for people leaving Illinois included Florida, Indiana, Wisconsin and Texas.
Here are the totals for the top of each state:
Leaving Illinois
- Florida - 35,262
- Indiana - 31,015
- Wisconsin - 27,369
- Texas - 25,272
- California - 24,559
- Missouri - 20,646
Leaving Missouri
- Kansas - 20,905
- Illinois - 15,923
- Texas - 12,766
- Florida - 10,919
- Arizona - 7,362
- California 6,369
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, data showed people moved from highly-populated states to less-populated neighboring states, which is reflected in Illinois data.
In Missouri, more people moved into the state than the number who left according to the census data. More than 160,000 people moved into the Show-Me State. These are the states that led the way:
Coming to Missouri
- Kansas - 22,333
- Illinois - 20,646
- California - 12,107
- Florida - 9,758
- Arkansas - 9,590
Additionally, an estimated 18,047 people came to Missouri from "abroad."
For Illinois, about 228,000 people moved into the state.
Coming to Illinois
- California - 20,573
- Texas - 19,949
- Missouri - 15,923
- Florida - 14,078
- Indiana - 13,792
- Wisconsin - 12,764
- Michigan - 12,283
- New York - 12,072
- Ohio - 11,296
Another 74,147 people moved into the state from "abroad," according to the census data.
The 2022 numbers were similar to those reported in census data in 2021. Missouri gained an estimated 165,921 residents and lost 147,737, while Illinois gained 195,177 and lost 341,425.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or the Apple TV App Store.
