Chicago, Illinois Population History 1840 - 2021
Chicago Population By Year
| Year | Population | Rank in US | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,696,555 | 3 | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 2,741,730 | 3 | 0.2% |
| 2010 | 2,695,598 | 3 | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 2,895,671 | 3 | 0.4% |
| 1990 | 2,783,660 | 3 | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 3,005,072 | 2 | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 3,366,957 | 2 | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 3,550,404 | 2 | -0.2% |
| 1950 | 3,620,962 | 2 | 0.6% |
| 1940 | 3,396,808 | 2 | 0.1% |
| 1930 | 3,376,438 | 2 | 2.3% |
| 1920 | 2,701,705 | 2 | 2.1% |
| 1910 | 2,185,283 | 2 | 2.6% |
| 1900 | 1,698,575 | 2 | 4.4% |
| 1890 | 1,099,850 | 2 | 8.1% |
| 1880 | 503,185 | 4 | 5.3% |
| 1870 | 298,977 | 5 | 10.3% |
| 1860 | 112,172 | 9 | 14.1% |
| 1850 | 29,963 | 24 | 21.0% |
| 1840 | 4,470 | 92 | – |
Chicago Population Facts
What is the current population of Chicago?
Based on the latest 2022 data from the US census, the current population of Chicago is 2,696,555. Chicago, Illinois is the 3rd largest city in the US.
What county is Chicago, Illinois in?
Parts of Chicago are located within Cook County and DuPage County.
What is the size of Chicago, Illinois in square miles?
Chicago has an area of 227.6 square miles. Chicago is the largest city, by area, in Illinois.What was the peak population of Chicago?
The peak population of Chicago was in 1950, when its population was 3,620,962. In 1950, Chicago was the 2nd largest city in the US; now its fallen to the 3rd largest city in the US. Chicago is currently 25.5% smaller than it was in 1950.
How quickly is Chicago shrinking?
Chicago has shrunk 6.8% since the year 2000. Chicago, Illinois's growth is extremely below average. 92% of similarly sized cities are growing faster since 2000.
Is Chicago the biggest city in Illinois?
Yes, Chicago is the biggest city in the state of Illinois based on population. Chicago is also the only city in Illinois that is among the top 100 biggest cities in the US.
What is the population density of Chicago, Illinois?
Chicago has a population density of 11,841.8 people per square mile. Chicago has the 5th highest population density among large cities in the United States.
Similarly Sized Cities In US
| US Rank | Name | Population | Growth 2000-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, New York | 8,467,513 | 5.6% |
| 2 | Los Angeles, California | 3,849,297 | 3.9% |
| 3 | Chicago, Illinois | 2,696,555 | -6.8% |
| 4 | Houston, Texas | 2,288,250 | 15.6% |
| 5 | Phoenix, Arizona | 1,624,569 | 22.4% |
| 6 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1,576,251 | 4.1% |
| 7 | San Antonio, Texas | 1,451,853 | 24.7% |
| 8 | San Diego, California | 1,381,611 | 12.6% |
| 9 | Dallas, Texas | 1,288,457 | 8.2% |
Chicago Demographics
What is the voting age population of Chicago, Illinois?
The total voting age population of Chicago, Illinois, meaning US citizens 18 or older, is 1,853,180. The voting age population is 47.5% male and 52.5% female.
What percentage of Chicago, Illinois residents are senior citizens?
According to the latest census statistics, 12.4% of the residents of Chicago are 65 or older.
What are the racial demographics of Chicago, Illinois?
The racial demographics of Chicago are 50.0% White, 29.6% Black, 10.6% Other, 6.6% Asian, 2.8% Two or more races and 0.3% American Indian. Additionally, 28.8% of the population identifies as Hispanic.
What percentage of Chicago, Illinois residents are below the poverty line?
In Chicago, 18.4% of residents have an income below the poverty line, and the child poverty rate is 26.8%. On a per-household basis, 14.4% of families are below the poverty line in Chicago.
What percentage of Chicago, Illinois residents are in the labor force?
Among those aged 16 and older, 66.9% of Chicago residents are in the labor force.
What are the education levels among Chicago, Illinois residents?
Among the adult population 25 years old and over, 85.1% of Chicago residents have at least a high school degree or equivalent, 39.5% have a bachelor's degree and 16.2% have a graduate or professional degree.
What percentage of Chicago, Illinois residents speak a non-English language at home?
Among Chicago residents aged 5 and older, 36.0% of them speak a non-English language at home. Broken down by language: 24.1% of residents speak Spanish at home, 6.1% speak an Indo-European language, and 4.1% speak an Asian language.
Chicago Income & Labor Statistics
What is the unemployment rate in Chicago, Illinois?
The unemployment rate in Chicago is 8.1%, which is calculated among residents aged 16 or older who are in the labor force.
What percentage of Chicago, Illinois residents work for the government?
In Chicago, 11.5% of the residents in the non-military labor force are employed by the local, state and federal government.
What is the median income in Chicago, Illinois?
The median household income in Chicago is $58,247.
Chicago Housing & Rent Statistics
What percentage of housing units are owner-occupied in Chicago, Illinois?
In Chicago, 45.0% of housing units are occupied by their owners.
What percentage of housing units are rented in Chicago, Illinois?
Renters occupy 55.0% of housing units in Chicago.
What percentage of Chicago, Illinois housing units were built before 1940?
Of all the housing units in Chicago, 41.8% of them were build before 1940.
What percentage of Chicago, Illinois housing units were built after 2000?
In Chicago, 10.6% of the total housing units were built after the year 2000, which is approximately 129,000 units.
What is the median monthly rent in Chicago, Illinois?
The median gross monthly rent payment for renters in Chicago is $1,112.
What percentage of households in Chicago, Illinois have broadband internet?
In Chicago, 78.8% of households have an active broadband internet connection.