We mentioned last week that the new Census data on cities show that thanks to a hemorrhaging of its population in recent decades, Chicago now has a lower population today than 100 years ago even though the U.S. population has more than tripled over that time period. Some of our readers questioned the validity of that surprising statistic. So for the doubting Thomases, here is the Census data from our demographer Wendell Cox:

Things may get a lot worse before they get better in what was once “the city with broad shoulders.” The newly elected Marxist mayor, Brandon Johnson, has proposed a giant tax increase on Chicago’s few remaining businesses, including a new financial transaction tax. The New York Post reports that the iconic $66 billion Chicago Mercantile Exchange – one of the anchor businesses still left standing in the windy city – has threatened to relocate if the tax is put into law.