Chicago African American Population 2025 | Statistics & Facts

Chicago Black Population Overview 2025

The African American population in Chicago stands as one of the most historically significant and culturally influential Black communities in the United States. As of 2023, Chicago is home to approximately 757,000 Black or African American residents, representing 28.0% of the city’s total population of 2.71 million people. This makes Chicago the third-largest urban Black population in the nation, trailing only New York City and the Atlanta metropolitan area.

However, this substantial community has experienced dramatic demographic shifts. Chicago’s Black population peaked in 1980 at 1,187,905 residents, meaning the city has lost approximately 430,000 Black residents since then—a 36.3% decline over four decades. Despite this significant population loss, Chicago’s African American community continues to shape American culture, politics, music, and civil rights movements while fighting for long-overdue investment and equality in their historic neighborhoods.

Key Facts & Statistics: Chicago Black Population 2025

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023, Data USA 2023, Illinois Policy Institute 2023

The Great Migration: Building Black Chicago (1915-1970)

The Great Migration transformed Chicago from a predominantly European immigrant city into one of America’s most important centers of Black life and culture. Between 1915 and 1970, more than 500,000 African Americans migrated from the South to Chicago, fleeing Jim Crow segregation, lynching, economic exploitation, and political disenfranchisement. They were drawn by promises of industrial jobs paying significantly better wages than Southern agricultural work.

Chicago’s Black population grew explosively: from 44,000 in 1910 to 235,000 in 1930 to over 800,000 by 1960. By 1980, the population peaked at 1,187,905, representing over 39% of the city’s total population. Migrants came primarily from Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and East Texas, attracted by railway companies, steel mills, and meatpacking houses that offered steady employment.

The Chicago Defender newspaper played a crucial role, spreading news throughout the South that Chicago offered better lives and plentiful jobs. The paper used train routes to inform Black Southerners where to live and work upon arrival. During the 1940s, an estimated 3,000 Black Americans per day arrived by train in Chicago, creating one of the largest internal migrations in American history.

Bronzeville: The Black Metropolis (1920-1960)

Bronzeville, located on Chicago’s South Side, became the cultural, economic, and political heart of Black Chicago, rivaling Harlem in significance. The neighborhood was home to influential figures including Gwendolyn Brooks (poet), Richard Wright (novelist), Louis Armstrong (jazz legend), Bessie Coleman (aviation pioneer), and Ida B. Wells (journalist and civil rights activist).

During the Great Migration, racist housing restrictions confined Black residents between 22nd Street on the north, 51st Street on the south, the Rock Island Railway on the west, and Cottage Grove Avenue on the east—a neighborhood only a mile wide at most. This forced density created an extraordinarily vibrant community where Black-owned businesses, banks, newspapers, hospitals, hotels, theaters, and nightclubs flourished.

Bronzeville’s institutions achieved national influence: Jesse Binga founded Binga Bank, Chicago’s first Black-owned financial institution; Dr. Daniel Hale Williams pioneered open-heart surgery at Provident Hospital; The Chicago Defender and Chicago Bee became African-American newspapers of national influence; the Wabash Avenue YMCA established the first Black History Month; and entertainment venues hosted the greatest musicians of the jazz and blues eras.

Dramatic Population Decline: 1980-2025

Chicago’s Black population has declined steadily from 1,187,905 in 1980 to approximately 757,000 in 2023—a loss of 430,000 residents or 36.3% decline. The largest single-decade drop occurred between 2000 and 2010, when Chicago lost 181,000 Black residents (17% decline). Between 2010 and 2020, the city lost an additional 85,000 Black residents.

Multiple interconnected factors drove this exodus:

Violence and Safety Concerns: The magnitude of Black population outflows corresponds strongly with neighborhood homicide rates. Austin community area on the Far West Side experienced the largest population drop, losing over 11,000 Black residents between 2010-2020.

Public Housing Destruction: The Chicago Housing Authority and city government demolished public housing projects without providing sufficient affordable housing for evicted residents, displacing thousands to unfamiliar neighborhoods and destabilizing middle-class areas.

School Closures: Chicago Public Schools closed 50 schools primarily in Black neighborhoods under Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2013, further accelerating the population spiral by eliminating neighborhood anchors that provided education, community gathering spaces, and employment.

Economic Disinvestment: Manufacturing job losses devastated Black neighborhoods. In 1947, at the peak of manufacturing employment, Chicago had 667,407 manufacturing jobs; by 2014, that number plummeted to 110,445—an 83% decline. Black residents relied heavily on these factory jobs on the South and West Sides.

Reverse Migration: Many Blacks are participating in the “Reverse Great Migration,” seeking greater economic opportunities in Southern cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, which offer lower cost of living, better job markets, and growing Black political power.

Major Black Neighborhoods in Chicago 2025

Data Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 2019-2023, Chicago Data Portal 2023

South Side Black Communities Analysis

The South Side has been synonymous with Black Chicago for over a century. Some census tracts in Roseland and Auburn Gresham are 99% Black, representing some of the most racially homogeneous areas in the nation. Between 1970 and 1990, several South Side Black communities ranked among the city’s top 30 for median household income, including Auburn Gresham, Avalon Park, Burnside, Calumet Heights, Morgan Park, Pullman, Roseland, South Deering, Washington Heights, and West Pullman.

However, by 2020, only Morgan Park remained among the city’s top 30 in median household income. Many once-middle-class neighborhoods saw median incomes decline 22% to 47%. This economic deterioration reflects the departure of middle-class residents, business disinvestment, school closures, and persistent stigma that devalues Black neighborhoods regardless of resident income or property quality.

Neighborhoods with Largest Black Population Loss Since 1990:

• West Englewood: -23,501 residents
• Englewood: -23,183 residents
• Austin: -18,838 residents
• Auburn Gresham: -14,905 residents
• Roseland: -14,863 residents
• Grand Boulevard: -14,520 residents
• North Lawndale: -14,259 residents
• Washington Park: -8,069 residents (lost 65.9% since peak)

West Side Black Communities

The West Side houses historically significant Black neighborhoods that expanded as Black population grew beyond the South Side’s Black Belt. Austin, located on the Far West Side, is Chicago’s largest Black neighborhood by population with approximately 84,000 residents (84.2% Black). Austin’s overall population was 99,711 in 2016, down from 98,514 in 2010.

Austin comprises four neighborhoods: South Austin, North Austin, Galewood, and The Island. The community area was predominantly White until the 1970s when middle-class Black families moved in. By 1970, 32% of Austin was Black; by 1980, that jumped to 73%. This rapid racial transition caused White flight as real estate agents created panic about declining property values.

West Side neighborhoods face particularly acute challenges with violence, poverty, and disinvestment. The median household income in Austin was $31,435 in 2016, significantly lower than the city average. Poverty rates in West Side and South Side neighborhoods reach and sometimes exceed 50%, creating concentrated disadvantage that traps residents despite their efforts to improve circumstances.

Black Population by Age: Chicago 2025

Data Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 2019-2023, Chicago demographic estimates

Age Structure Analysis

The Black population in Chicago is significantly younger than the overall city population, with a median age of 32.1 years compared to 35.7 years citywide. This younger age profile has important implications for workforce development, education systems, and long-term population trends.

Approximately 25% of Black Chicagoans are under age 18, totaling about 189,000 children and adolescents. This large youth population requires substantial investment in schools, youth programs, and family support services. The prime working-age population (25-44 years) comprises 34% of Black Chicagoans, representing 257,000 people who should be at peak earning potential but face significant employment barriers.

The senior population (65+) represents only 9% of Black Chicago, significantly lower than the citywide rate, reflecting both the younger overall age structure and unfortunately, lower life expectancy due to health disparities including higher rates of chronic diseases, violence exposure, and limited healthcare access.

Black-Owned Businesses in Chicago

Data Source: U.S. Census Survey of Business Owners 2012, Annual Business Survey 2021, Brookings Institution 2024

Black Business Ownership Analysis

Chicago had 58,631 Black-owned businesses as of the 2012 Census Survey of Business Owners, making it the city with the 2nd-highest number nationally behind only New York (154,929). Cook County had 110,155 Black-owned businesses, representing 4.3% of all Black-owned businesses in the United States.

However, only 5,606 Black-owned businesses in Chicago were employer firms as of 2021, representing just 2.8% of all employer businesses in the metro area—far below Black residents’ 28% share of the city population. This severe underrepresentation in employer businesses (those with paid employees) reflects systemic barriers including limited access to capital, discriminatory lending, customer bias, and lack of business networks.

The largest industry for Black-owned businesses in Chicago is Health Care and Social Assistance (25.6%), followed by Other Services (repair, maintenance, personal services), Administrative Support/Waste Management (11%), and Professional/Scientific/Technical Services (8%). However, these businesses generate far less revenue than businesses in high-growth sectors like technology and finance, where Black entrepreneurs face even greater barriers to entry.

Crime and Violence Statistics: Black Victims

Data Source: University of Chicago Crime Lab 2024, Illinois Policy Institute 2024, Chicago Police Dept 2024

Understanding Violence Against Black Chicagoans

Black Chicagoans are 20 times more likely to become homicide victims than White residents, according to University of Chicago Crime Lab analysis. Between May 2023 and April 2024, Black residents were victims in 77% of homicides where race was known, despite comprising 28% of the city’s population.

The non-fatal gunshot victimization rate for Black Chicagoans is 112.83 per 100,000, compared to just 1.62 per 100,000 for White residents—a staggering 70-fold difference. This violence is concentrated on the South and West Sides, where 9 out of every 10 homicides occur. In contrast, 24 of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods experienced no homicides during the 12-month period, with the majority on the North Side.

Englewood led the city with 51 homicides and only 8 arrests (16% clearance rate). West Garfield Park had 49 homicides with 13 arrests (27% clearance). The overall homicide arrest rate hit a record low of 25% between May 2023-April 2024, down from 39% the previous year. This means 3 out of 4 murders go unsolved, creating a crisis of impunity that emboldens offenders and traumatizes communities.

Criminal Justice System Disparities

Data Source: The Circuit/Injustice Watch 2021, Cook County data 2018-2023, Bureau of Justice Statistics

Criminal Justice Analysis

Black people are incarcerated in Cook County Jail at more than 17 times the rate of White people—the largest gap between the two groups since at least 1990. This extraordinary disparity reflects systemic bias at every stage of the criminal justice process, from policing to prosecution to sentencing.

More than 60% of criminal cases filed in Cook County between 2000-2018 were against Black people, despite Black residents comprising only 25% of the county’s population. This 2.4x overrepresentation persists even as overall caseloads have declined, meaning racial disparities have actually worsened as the system processed fewer cases.

In Chicago specifically, 80% of illegal gun possession arrests involve Black suspects, leading some prosecutors to decline charges citing concerns about racial disparities. However, this creates a paradox: lenient enforcement may reduce mass incarceration but also reduces deterrence, potentially contributing to the violence that disproportionately harms Black communities where 97% of murder victims are Black or Hispanic.

Health Outcomes for Black Chicagoans

Data Source: Chicago Department of Public Health reports, Illinois health statistics

Health Disparities Impact

Black Chicagoans face dramatically worse health outcomes than their White counterparts, with life expectancy 6-10 years lower depending on specific neighborhoods. South and West Side neighborhoods experience healthcare deserts where residents must travel significant distances to access quality medical care, emergency services, and specialists.

Chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and asthma affect Black Chicagoans at significantly higher rates, reflecting both genetic predispositions and social determinants including stress from violence exposure, economic hardship, environmental pollution, limited access to healthy food, and barriers to preventive care.

The psychological trauma from pervasive violence creates a public health crisis affecting entire communities. Young people who witness shootings, attend funerals of peers, and live in constant fear develop PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression, and trauma-related disorders that impact educational achievement, employment, relationships, and long-term health.

Employment and Labor Force Data

Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois Policy Institute 2023, Chicago economic data

Employment Crisis Analysis

The Black unemployment rate in Chicago of 14.3% is nearly three times the White rate of approximately 5%, reflecting discrimination in hiring, educational attainment gaps, spatial mismatch between where Black residents live and where jobs are located, criminal record barriers, and lack of professional networks.

Most devastatingly, 40% of Black young adults ages 20-24 are neither working nor in school, compared to just 7% of White young adults. This “disconnected youth” crisis represents an enormous waste of human potential and creates risks for poverty, violence involvement, incarceration, and intergenerational poverty.

Manufacturing job losses have particularly devastated Black employment. At its 1947 peak, Chicago had 667,407 manufacturing jobs; by 2014, only 110,445 remained—an 83% decline. Black workers disproportionately relied on these union factory jobs that required limited formal education but paid middle-class wages with benefits, pensions, and pathways to homeownership.

Educational Attainment: Black Chicagoans

Data Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 2019-2023, Chicago education data

Educational Attainment Analysis

Educational attainment among Black Chicago adults shows mixed results. While approximately 85% have completed high school, a significant achievement, only 18% hold bachelor’s degrees compared to 28% citywide. This 10-percentage-point gap limits access to professional employment and contributes to income disparities.

However, Black Chicagoans show relatively high rates of “some college” education (30%), suggesting many attempt higher education but face barriers to completion including financial constraints, family obligations, inadequate academic preparation, and institutional barriers at colleges and universities.

The graduate degree gap is even wider, with only 7% of Black adults holding master’s, doctoral, or professional degrees compared to 15% citywide. These advanced degrees provide access to high-income professions in medicine, law, business, education, and technology—fields where Black representation remains limited.

Housing Cost Burden and Stability

Data Source: DePaul Institute for Housing Studies, Census ACS 2023, eviction data

Housing Burden Analysis

Over 57% of Black renter households in neighborhoods like South Shore are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on rent. This leaves insufficient resources for food, healthcare, transportation, savings, and emergencies, creating chronic financial stress and instability.

Approximately 28% of Black renter households are severely cost-burdened, spending over half their income on rent. These families live one unexpected expense away from eviction, which triggers cascading negative effects including job loss, school disruption for children, health problems, and difficulty finding new housing due to eviction records.

Median home values in predominantly Black neighborhoods range from $180,000-$220,000, approximately $100,000 below the citywide median of $315,200. This persistent devaluation of Black neighborhoods—even those with well-maintained homes and middle-class residents—represents a massive wealth extraction from Black families and perpetuates the racial wealth gap.

Neighborhood Population Changes (2010-2020)

Data Source: U.S. Census 2010, 2020, Chicago Data Portal

Between 2010 and 2020, several predominantly African American neighborhoods in Chicago experienced notable population shifts, reflecting patterns of urban change, migration, and redevelopment. West Englewood saw the most dramatic decline, dropping from 35,768 residents in 2010 to 22,900 in 2020, a 36% decrease. Englewood followed, falling from 30,654 to 24,369, a 20% loss, while Washington Park declined by 17%, going from 12,024 to 10,000 residents. Auburn Gresham and Austin, two of Chicago’s larger Black communities, experienced more moderate decreases of 9% (49,453 to 45,000) and 5% (98,514 to 94,000), respectively. These declines reflect long-term disinvestment, housing instability, and economic challenges that have prompted residents to seek better opportunities in suburban or out-of-state areas.

In contrast, Bronzeville and Hyde Park have shown positive growth trends, signaling urban revival within parts of Chicago’s South Side. Bronzeville, once the heart of Chicago’s Black cultural and economic life, is experiencing population gains due to new housing developments, historic preservation projects, and rising property values. Hyde Park, supported by institutions like the University of Chicago, continues to attract new residents, reflecting a balance of stability and growth. Together, this data paints a picture of uneven demographic change—where some neighborhoods continue to decline while others are redefining what revitalization looks like in Chicago’s African American community.

Economic Conditions: Stark Racial Disparities

Data Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 2021-2023, Illinois Policy Institute 2023, YWCA Illinois 2022

Understanding Economic Inequality

Black residents in Chicago face poverty at 28.7%—nearly three times higher than the 10.3% poverty rate for White Chicagoans. This staggering disparity reflects systemic barriers including employment discrimination, educational inequities, residential segregation, and wealth gaps created by centuries of exclusionary policies.

In Riverdale on the far South Side, the poverty rate reaches 51%—more than 1 in 2 residents. In Fuller Park it’s 48.8%, Washington Park 46.9%, East Garfield Park 45.5%, and Englewood 40%. These extraordinarily high poverty rates create conditions of concentrated disadvantage where residents lack access to quality jobs, schools, healthcare, and basic services.

Around 40% of Black 20- to 24-year-olds in Chicago were out of work and out of school, compared with 7% of White young adults. This devastating disconnect from economic opportunity creates risks for poverty, incarceration, and early mortality while representing enormous waste of human potential.

The Black median household income of $42,118 was $30,000 less than the Illinois median of $72,205 in 2021. Employment status is the single most important factor impacting poverty rates—securing full-time, year-round employment virtually eliminates poverty odds regardless of race.

Housing Crisis and Segregation

Data Source: DePaul IHS 2024, Census ACS 2023, Illinois Policy Institute 2023

Chicago remains one of the most segregated cities in America. From 1916 onward, racially restrictive covenants kept neighborhoods White, with stipulations written into deeds prohibiting Black residents from buying, leasing, or inhabiting property. According to the Hyde Park Herald, restrictive covenants kept Chicago neighborhoods White “from the northern gates of Hyde Park at 35th and Drexel Boulevard to Woodlawn, Park Manor, South Shore, Windsor Park, and all far-flung White communities of the South Side.”

These covenants were outlawed in 1948, but their effects persist through continued discrimination, real estate steering, and community resistance to integration. The national Black homeownership rate has remained virtually unchanged since the 1968 Fair Housing Act. In Chicago, Black homeownership is 35% and Hispanic 43%, compared with 54% for White households.

In South Shore, 57.6% of renter-occupied households are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of income on rent. The area had 16% unemployment from 2018-2022 compared with the city’s 8.2% unemployment rate. These housing conditions create instability and financial stress undermining family wellbeing.

Education: Achievement Gaps and School Closures

Data Source: Chicago Public Schools 2023 Data, Illinois Policy Institute 2024

In 2013, Chicago Public Schools closed 50 schools on the South and West Sides, disproportionately affecting Black students. The closures led to steady enrollment decline and further neighborhood disinvestment. These school closings eliminated neighborhood anchors providing education, community gathering spaces, employment, and stability.

Within CPS, 76% of over 300,000 public students rely on school meals, and more than 16,400 students are homeless. Chicago’s low-income youth, particularly Black and Latinx students, find themselves trapped in cycles of poverty and limited educational opportunity.

Magnet and selective-enrollment schools designed to promote integration remain largely inaccessible due to transportation deficiencies and limited seating. Only 20% met racial diversity standards in 2019. This educational apartheid ensures Black students predominantly attend under-resourced neighborhood schools while better-funded selective schools remain inaccessible.

Despite poor proficiency outcomes, graduation rates appear relatively high—79% for Black students and 83.8% for Hispanic students—raising questions about grade inflation and diploma standards that may not reflect college or workforce readiness.

Black Middle Class: Often Overlooked Reality

Data Source: Crain’s Chicago Business 2014, Census ACS 2019-2023

A crucial often-overlooked fact: Black Chicagoans are economically diverse. While poverty concentrates in certain neighborhoods, substantial middle-class Black communities exist. Austin, Roseland, Auburn Gresham, and South Shore house large shares of middle-income families and top 20% Black earners.

Ashburn—a neighborhood on the southwestern edge about 50% Black that most North Siders have never heard of—has Black median household income over $70,000. Calumet Heights has Black median income of $56,000, Washington Heights $42,000, and West Pullman $39,000. These figures exceed Black median incomes in gentrifying North Side neighborhoods: $24,000 in West Town, $31,000 in Lincoln Park, and $35,000 in North Center.

The narrative that “everyone on the South and West Sides would leave if they could” is false. Many middle-class Black families choose to remain in or move to these neighborhoods for community, affordability, space, and cultural connection—they simply demand the investment, services, and safety that North Side residents take for granted.

Violence and Public Safety Crisis

Violence has devastated many Black neighborhoods, contributing to population loss and economic decline. Some researchers argue lack of economic opportunities causes elevated youth violence that ravages South Side neighborhoods, reinforcing cycles of disinvestment and displacement.

Black Chicagoans are disproportionately victims of homicide, with certain neighborhoods experiencing violence at rates comparable to war zones. Violence stems from poverty, lack of opportunity, easy gun access, gang conflicts over drug markets, historical trauma, and insufficient mental health and conflict resolution resources.

The violence creates cascading effects: families flee if they can afford to, businesses close or never open, property values decline, schools lose enrollment and resources, and remaining residents face increased trauma. Young people grow up witnessing violence, attending funerals, and living in constant fear, creating psychological wounds affecting educational achievement, employment, relationships, and health.

Black Political Leadership and Representation

Chicago has produced influential Black political leaders including:

• Harold Washington: Chicago’s first Black mayor (elected 1983)
• Carol Moseley Braun: First Black woman elected to U.S. Senate
• Jesse Jackson Sr.: Civil rights leader and presidential candidate
• Barack Obama: First Black U.S. President, began political career in Chicago
• Brandon Johnson: Current Chicago mayor (elected 2023), progressive reformer

Despite significant political representation, Black Chicagoans continue fighting for equitable resource allocation and investment. Declining Black population has reduced political power as ward boundaries shifted and historically Black wards became more racially diverse, changing political dynamics.

Black aldermen represent numerous South and West Side wards, advocating in City Council. However, decades of disinvestment require massive sustained investment that political representation alone cannot deliver without fundamental economic restructuring and reparative policies.

Cultural Contributions and Legacy

Chicago’s Black community has made incalculable contributions to American and global culture:

Music: The city birthed or nurtured Chicago blues (Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf), gospel music (Pilgrim Baptist Church, Thomas Dorsey), and house music. Legendary artists from Curtis Mayfield and Earth Wind & Fire to Kanye West, Common, and Chance the Rapper called Chicago home.

Literature: Gwendolyn Brooks (first Black Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry), Richard Wright (Native Son, Black Boy), and Lorraine Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun) documented Black life and challenged racism.

Journalism: The Chicago Defender (founded 1905) became one of America’s most influential Black publications, encouraging Southern Blacks to migrate north and documenting racial injustice nationwide.

Civil Rights: Ida B. Wells fought against lynching, Jesse Jackson Sr. led Operation PUSH, and Chicago served as organizing ground for numerous civil rights campaigns.

Innovation: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed first successful open-heart surgery; Bessie Coleman became first Black female pilot; countless Black Chicagoans broke barriers in every field.

Challenges and Opportunities

Chicago’s Black community stands at a crossroads in 2025. Population continues declining as families seek better opportunities elsewhere, yet efforts to revitalize Black neighborhoods are underway through initiatives like Invest South/West (bringing $750 million to 10 underserved communities) and community-driven development.

Positive signs: Communities along the southern lakefront including Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and South Shore all recorded population gains between 2010-2020, with significant influx of college-educated Black residents. Bronzeville contains two of just 193 census tracts nationally that achieved significant poverty decrease with minimal displacement between 2010-2015, attributed to abundant vacant lots creating opportunities for new construction.

Persistent challenges: Without massive sustained investment in education, economic opportunity, affordable housing, healthcare, and public safety—coupled with reparative policies addressing centuries of discrimination—Chicago risks losing more Black residents and the irreplaceable cultural richness they bring.

Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.

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