Chicago Heights, IL

Census Place

2024 Population

26,736

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

35.2

1.12% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

26.9%

8.91% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$54,798

4.66% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$161,000

Population & Diversity

Chicago Heights, IL is home to a population of 26.7k people, from which 92.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 14.7% of Chicago Heights, IL residents were born outside of the country (3.94k people).

In 2024, there were 1.88 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.8k people) in Chicago Heights, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.73k White (Non-Hispanic) and 4.3k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.5%

2024 Citizenship

90.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92.5% of Chicago Heights, IL residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chicago Heights, IL was 90.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Chicago Heights, IL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chicago Heights, IL

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
10.8k ± 1.3k
White (Non-Hispanic)
5.73k ± 805
Other (Hispanic)
4.3k ± 1.01k

35.5%

Hispanic Population

9.48k people

35.5% of the people in Chicago Heights, IL are hispanic (9.48k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chicago Heights, IL as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Illinois.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
637,284 ± 19,101 people
India
166,788 ± 9,961 people
Poland
117,148 ± 8,364 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Illinois was Mexico, the natal country of 637,284 Illinois residents, followed by India with 166,788 and Poland with 117,148.

Foreign-Born Population

14.7%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.94k people

15.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.22k people

As of 2024, 14.7% of Chicago Heights, IL residents (3.94k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Chicago Heights, IL was 15.7%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Chicago Heights, IL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
278 ± 107
Gulf War (1990s)
201 ± 104
Gulf War (2001-)
156 ± 90

Chicago Heights, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.38 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Chicago Heights, IL.

Economy

The economy of Chicago Heights, IL employs 10.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chicago Heights, IL were Retail Trade (1,448 people), Manufacturing (1,393 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,341 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($113,500), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($95,082), and Finance & Insurance ($74,877).

Employment

Occupations

10.5k

2024 Value

± 890

−2.24%

1 Year decline

± 12%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chicago Heights, IL declined at a rate of −2.24%, from 10.8k employees to 10.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chicago Heights, IL, are Material Moving Occupations (1,166 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,080 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,021 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chicago Heights, IL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Illinois.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Illinois (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

10.5k

2024 Value

± 890

−2.24%

1 Year decline

± 12%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chicago Heights, IL declined at a rate of −2.24%, from 10.8k employees to 10.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chicago Heights, IL, are Retail Trade (1,448 people), Manufacturing (1,393 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,341 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chicago Heights, IL, though some of these residents may live in Chicago Heights, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,216

Median earning men ± $2,706

$38,680

Median earning women ± $2,687

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($82,273), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($80,921), and Manufacturing ($56,926).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($73,545), Public Administration ($54,890), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($48,108).

Education

The student population of Chicago Heights, IL in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,228 male students and 1,725 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Chicago Heights, IL are Black or African American (483 and 52%), Hispanic or Latino (215 and 23.2%), White (162 and 17.5%), and Unknown (30 and 3.23%).

The largest universities in Chicago Heights, IL by number of degrees awarded are Prairie State College (942 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Chicago Heights, IL are Liberal Arts & Sciences (322 and 34.2%), Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (136 and 14.4%), and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT Paramedic) (62 and 6.58%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,953 students enrolled in Chicago Heights, IL, 41.6% men and 58.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 1,455 records, of which 61.9% were women and 38.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
149 degrees awarded
General Studies
55 degrees awarded
Dental Hygiene
34 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Chicago Heights, IL was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 149 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Chicago Heights, IL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Prairie State College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

942 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Prairie State College with 942 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 373 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Chicago Heights, IL, which is 0.656 times less than the 569 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Black or African American students. These 483 degrees mean that there were 2.25 times more degrees awarded to Black or African American students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 215 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($8,610) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($732) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($2,500) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Chicago Heights, IL was $161,000 in 2024, which is 0.484 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $149,900 to $161,000, a 7.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Chicago Heights, IL is 63.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chicago Heights, IL have an average commute time of 30.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chicago Heights, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$161,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,073

$5,846

Median Property Taxes

±$579

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Chicago Heights, IL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Chicago Heights, IL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

63.4%

Homeownership

2024

67.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63.4% of the housing units in Chicago Heights, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 63.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chicago Heights, IL compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$54,798

Median Household Income

± $6,131

9.22k

Number of Households

± 821

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.22k households in Chicago Heights, IL declined from $54,798 from the previous year's value of $57,479.

The following chart displays the households in Chicago Heights, IL distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chicago Heights, IL is from Illinois.

0.471

2024 Wage GINI in Illinois

0.474

2023 Wage GINI in Illinois

In 2024, the income inequality in Illinois was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.55% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Illinois was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Illinois in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Illinois across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (72.5%)
Carpooled (11.3%)
Worked At Home (6.72%)

In 2024, 72.5% of workers in Chicago Heights, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.3%) and those who worked at home (6.72%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

30.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chicago Heights, IL have a longer commute time (30.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.61% of the workforce in Chicago Heights, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Chicago Heights, IL compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Chicago Heights, IL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Chicago Heights, IL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

26.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chicago Heights, IL (7.07k out of 26.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chicago Heights, IL is Black, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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