More people are moving away than coming, tipping Illinois last year into the dreadful category of states with declining populations.
Except for Muslims. Illinois now has the highest per capita Islamic population in the country. Wouldn’t surprise me if it’s a contributing factor in the exodus.
Maryland, New York, and Georgia
compiled by JULIE POUCHER HARBIN via AMERICAN VALUES ATLAS (2013 DATA), SEPTEMBER 26, 2014:
Check out this new online atlas — The American Values Atlas — launched this year by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS). You can go to this site and plug in the names of various religious affiliations and denominations and discover the percentage of that group state by state.
I plugged in “Muslim” and found that 1% of Americans identify as Muslim. The states with the highest number of Muslims are Maryland and New York at 3% of the population in each state. In Georgia, the state with the next highest percentage — 2% of the population is Muslim. States where Muslims are 1% of the population include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. All the rest of the states were at less than .5%.
Here’s the official description of this new tool:
The American Values Atlas (AVA) is a powerful new tool for understanding the complex demographic, religious, and cultural changes occurring in the United States today. Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) recognized the need for a more complete portrait of America’s shifting attitudes, identities, and values, and launched the AVA in 2014 in partnership with Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS). The AVA’s interactive mapping system allows users to explore the differences and similarities between America’s diverse religious, political, and demographic communities. Beginning in 2015, the AVA will expand to include specific issue modules, covering topics such as immigration, abortion, LGBT issues, and others.