BY MIKE CETERA
Sometimes the news just isn't all that surprising. The U.S. Census Bureau tells us today that Kendall County is among the fastest-growing counties in the country. We already knew this. But I'm guessing most of the news reports will focus on Kendall's slip in ranking to No. 4.
What I find more interesting is what the data says about DuPage County. More people are moving out than are moving in. Yes, the population overall has grown during the last seven years, but only because there are many more births than deaths.
Still, it appears that when choosing a place to live, DuPage is losing people (That perhaps helps explain the changing voting demographics there.). I suppose the question is, why?
The same can't be said for other area counties, according to Census migration data. Kendall County gained 34,000 people through "internal migration," a term used by the Census to describe people moving from one area to another within the U.S., while Kane County gained 32,000.
Overall DuPage County increased in population by 25,000; Kane increased by nearly 97,000, about one-fifth coming from "international migration," people moving to Kane from other countries.
From a story in today's Beacon:
Elsewhere in the Fox Valley, Kane, DeKalb and DuPage counties each added about 2,000 residents in 2007, according to the Census data, showing population increases of less than 3 percent. Will County became the 54th fastest-growing county in the U.S. after reporting a 34 percent population increase since 2000, but only grew 2.5 percent in 2007. Kendall's population, meanwhile, continues to grow by more than 10 percent annually.
Find the area Census data here.
U.S. News & World Report has more on the issue of migration.
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