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CITY · INCORPORATED 1837 · 2020 ACS

Chicago

Illinois · 2,746,388 residents · 228 sq mi
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The short version

With 2,746,388 people, Chicago is a city in Illinois. Owners hold 41% of the housing stock. The median age is 35.1, younger than the US median of 38.8. 41% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The average commute runs 35 minutes. 20% of locals were born outside the United States.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 35.1
US median: 38.8
More educated
41% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
2,746,388
−5%since 2000
from 2,896,016 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
35.1
+11%since 2000
from 31.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
228 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2.7M2.7M2.8M2.9M2.9M19902000201020202024Chicago
20242.7M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.5%(149,804)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(147,554)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.7%(155,677)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 195.8%(159,000)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.5%(206,499)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3420%(550,241)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4414.5%(397,079)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.9%(326,420)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6411.1%(303,564)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 747.7%(210,964)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.6%(99,999)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.4%(39,587)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$62,097
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $38,625 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,068
+94%since 2000
from $20,175 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
42.8%
+12.8 ptssince 2009
from 30.0% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
17.3%
−2.3 ptssince 2000
from 19.6% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Other services8.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Information8.2%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade7.8%
US avg: 10%
Finance & insurance6.9%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical6.5%
US avg: 4.7%
Public administration6.1%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade4%
US avg: 6.7%
Arts, entertainment, food2.2%
US avg: 2%
Transportation & warehousing2.2%
US avg: 2.5%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$267,600
+23%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $144,300 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,154
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $616 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
41.3%
−2.5 ptssince 2000
from 43.8% in 2000
58.7% rent
Persons per household
2.44 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
4.3
−26%since 2009
from 5.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic31.3%(907,166)
Black36.4%(1,053,739)
Hispanic / Latino26%(753,644)
Asian4.3%(124,437)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic31.4%(863,622)
Black28.7%(787,551)
Hispanic / Latino29.8%(819,518)
Asian6.9%(189,857)
Other2.5%(68,961)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican21.2%(572,203)
Puerto Rican3.5%(94,118)
South American1.6%(43,645)
Central American1.2%(32,914)
Ecuadorian0.8%(20,661)
Guatemalan0.7%(17,807)
Cuban0.3%(9,229)
Colombian0.3%(9,203)
Salvadoran0.2%(6,308)
Honduran0.2%(6,121)
Peruvian0.2%(5,715)
Spaniard0.2%(4,734)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.1%(3,552)
Venezuelan0.1%(2,617)
Argentine0.1%(2,591)
Chilean0%(1,166)
Nicaraguan0%(1,006)
Bolivian0%(707)
Panamanian0%(658)
Uruguayan0%(342)
Paraguayan0%(191)
Asian origin
Chinese2.2%(59,252)
Asian Indian1.6%(42,291)
Filipino1.1%(28,899)
Korean0.5%(12,841)
Vietnamese0.4%(11,093)
Pakistani0.3%(8,402)
Japanese0.2%(4,391)
Thai0.2%(4,052)
Taiwanese0.1%(1,354)
Cambodian0%(1,297)
Nepalese0%(1,114)
Burmese0%(1,071)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Mongolian0%(809)
Malaysian0%(493)
Laotian0%(364)
Indonesian0%(284)
Sri Lankan0%(271)
Hmong0%(162)
Bhutanese0%(31)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(432)
Chamorro0%(342)
Fijian0%(55)
Tongan0%(10)
Ancestry
Irish7.4%(199,463)
German7.4%(198,925)
Polish5.5%(147,637)
Italian3.9%(106,029)
English2.7%(71,730)
American2.1%(56,505)
Subsaharan African1.6%(42,850)
Russian1%(27,496)
Swedish1%(25,843)
French1%(25,733)
Scottish0.7%(18,240)
Norwegian0.7%(17,817)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Greek0.6%(16,085)
Ukrainian0.5%(14,661)
Dutch0.5%(13,645)
West Indian0.5%(13,155)
Czech0.4%(10,534)
Nigerian0.4%(10,406)
Lithuanian0.4%(10,061)
Romanian0.4%(10,004)
British0.3%(8,428)
Hungarian0.3%(8,418)
Croatian0.3%(7,170)
Welsh0.3%(7,108)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(6,924)
Austrian0.2%(6,678)
Serbian0.2%(6,521)
Danish0.2%(5,380)
French Canadian0.2%(4,795)
Slovak0.2%(4,514)
Ethiopian0.2%(4,434)
Jamaican0.2%(4,391)
Arab0.2%(4,245)
Haitian0.1%(3,503)
Swiss0.1%(3,456)
Lebanese0.1%(3,417)
Iranian0.1%(3,257)
Canadian0.1%(2,836)
Finnish0.1%(2,673)
Turkish0.1%(2,573)
Syrian0.1%(2,513)
Armenian0.1%(2,458)
Bulgarian0.1%(2,425)
Jordanian0.1%(2,417)
Belgian0.1%(2,399)
Brazilian0.1%(2,271)
Iraqi0.1%(2,207)
Macedonian0.1%(2,202)
Portuguese0.1%(2,107)
Ghanaian0.1%(1,933)
Palestinian0.1%(1,905)
Egyptian0.1%(1,817)
Moroccan0.1%(1,760)
Israeli0.1%(1,629)
Slovene0.1%(1,627)
Australian0%(1,182)
Latvian0%(1,167)
Somali0%(839)
Guyanese0%(421)
Kenyan0%(324)
Barbadian0%(254)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
41.1%
+15.6 ptssince 2000
from 25.5% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
85.9%
+14.1 ptssince 2000
from 71.8% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
17.1%
+7.1 ptssince 2000
from 10.0% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
34.7 min
+35%since 2000
from 25.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
48.1%
−3.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
26.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 25.7% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
8.1%
−3.9 ptssince 2011
from 12.0% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
67.2%
+1.1 ptssince 2011
from 66.1% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.6%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
44.2%
+8.7 ptssince 2009
from 35.5% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Female
51.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Foreign born
20.3%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 21.0% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
9.6%
−10.1 ptssince 2013
from 19.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
90.4%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
85.0%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married51%(561,100)
Married39.8%(437,092)
Widowed2.3%(25,475)
Divorced6.9%(75,632)
Women 15+
Never married48.3%(569,186)
Married35.6%(419,632)
Widowed7.1%(83,882)
Divorced8.9%(105,068)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
9.6%
−10.1 ptssince 2013
from 19.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
53.0%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
10.5%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
13.6%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
25.0%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.1%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
61.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
35.8%
US average: 35.2%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)19.2%(12,808)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)16.6%(11,088)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era33.3%(22,230)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War6.9%(4,641)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.1%(2,095)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 66,833 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Explore

Neighborhoods in Chicago

Albany ParkAndersonvilleArcher HeightsAshburnAvondaleBack of the YardsBelmont CentralBelmont GardensBelmont HeightsBeverlyBrainerdBridgeportBrighton ParkBronzevilleBucktownBudlong WoodsBuena ParkBurnsideCalumet HeightsChathamChicago LawnClearing (W)CraginDouglas ParkDunningEast BeverlyEast ChathamEast Garfield ParkEast Hyde ParkEast SideEast UkrainianEdgewaterEdgewater BeachEdison ParkEnglewoodFernwoodFifth CityFuller ParkGage ParkGalewoodGarfield RidgeGold CoastGoose IslandGraceland WestGrand CrossingGreshamHeart of ChicagoHegewischHermosaHumboldt ParkHyde ParkIda B. Wells - Darrow HomesIllinois Medical DistrictIrving ParkJefferson ParkKelvin ParkKenwoodKilbourn ParkLake CalumetLake ViewLake View EastLincoln ParkLittleLogan SquareLongwood ManorMarquette ParkMayfairMcKinley ParkMontclareMorgan ParkMount GreenwoodNear NorthNear West SideNoble SquareNorth AustinNorth CenterNorth KenwoodNorwood Park EastO'HareO'Hare International AirportOaklandOldOld Irving ParkOld Town TrianglePalmer SquarePark ManorPark WestPilsenPortage ParkPrairie ShoresRavenswoodRiver NorthRogers ParkRoscoeRoselandRosemoorScottsdaleSheffield NeighborsSouth AustinSouth ChicagoSouth LoopSouth ShoreStreetervilleThe BushThe LoopTri-TaylorUkrainianUniversity Village - Little ItalyUptownWashington HeightsWashington ParkWestWest BeverlyWest ChathamWest ChesterfieldWest ElsdonWest EnglewoodWest Garfield ParkWest Humboldt ParkWest LawnWest Loop GateWest PullmanWest Rogers ParkWest WoodlawnWicker ParkWoodlawnWrightwoodWrightwood NeighborsWrigleyvilleNeighborhoods in Chicago
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Chicago, Illinois?

Chicago, Illinois has about 2,746,388 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Chicago, Illinois?

The typical household in Chicago, Illinois earns about $62,097 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Chicago, Illinois expensive?

In Chicago, Illinois, the median home is worth about $267,600, and the typical rent is about $1,154 a month.

How educated are people in Chicago, Illinois?

About 41.1% of adults age 25 and over in Chicago, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Chicago, Illinois?

About 17.3% of people in Chicago, Illinois live below the federal poverty line.

Has Chicago, Illinois grown since 1990?

Yes, Chicago, Illinois has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 37,338 residents, a change of about -1 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →