Chicago could soon lose its status as the third-largest city in the U.S., according to data from the Census Bureau.
The numbers released Thursday showed the Windy City lost approximately 0.3% of its population between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023.
According to the data, the city went from a population of 2,672,660 to 2,664,452.
Both New York and Los Angeles, the No. 1 and No. 2 cities when it comes to population size in the U.S., also saw declines in population.
During that same time period, Houston, which has been just behind Chicago in population numbers for several years, continued to grow in size. According to data, the Texas city grew by 0.5% to 2,314,157.
In 2015, experts predicted Houston could overtake Chicago as the third-largest city by 2025. At that time, estimates suggested Houston’s population could be between 2.54 million and 2.7 million by 2025, while Chicago would be around 2.5 million.
Now, a new analysis from the Illinois Policy Institute predicts Chicago will be overtaken by Houston by 2035 "if population trends hold."
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Chicago is seeing quicker reductions in population than its fellow large cities, according to Census Bureau data. New York, which has shed nearly 550,000 residents since 2019, saw a drop of 77,000 residents last year.
Los Angeles lost only 1,800 people last year, reversing some pandemic-era trends in that category.
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For comparison, Chicago is estimated to have lost 8,200 residents during the last year.
The Bureau cautions that data collected for 2023 does not include an influx of asylum-seekers who arrived in the city after the administration of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began busing them northward to Chicago. According to data provided by city officials, Chicago has received more than 41,000 migrants since June 2023.
As a whole, Illinois also lost population in the last year, though the state has previously filed objections to its Census data.
The 2020 Census found that Illinois had lost just over 18,000 residents in a 10-year span, or approximately 0.1% of its population. But Illinois officials said the state actually gained residents between 2010 and 2020.
According to officials, more than 700 “Group Quarters” were missed or undercounted as part of the 2020 Census. More than 40,000 individuals residing in care homes or senior living facilities were determined to have been missed, along with nearly 6,000 residents in dormitories and other residence halls.
The recounted residents will not be added to the official total of 12,812,508 from that census, but officials say the recount will impact how year-to-year projections are calculated, resulting in additional federal funding for the state.
Illinois also lost a seat in the House of Representatives amid significant population gains in states like Texas and Florida.
