Chicago, Illinois population is 2,731,585 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #3 nationally and #1 in Illinois. Cost of living runs 3.6% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $96,928/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
2,731,585
+5,253 in the last year
Top 1% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 103.6
+3.6% vs US
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$96,928/yr
+21% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$77,902
+0.2% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$334,100
+10% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$1,781/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
84°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
52%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
How many people live in Chicago?
2,731,585 people live in Chicago as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #3 largest U.S. city.
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population shrank 0.6% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 2,748,333 → 2025: 2,731,585 (-0.6%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
2,748,333
April 1, 2020
2020
2,741,640
July 1, 2020
2021
2,705,934
July 1, 2021
2022
2,680,609
July 1, 2022
2023
2,698,758
July 1, 2023
2024
2,726,332
July 1, 2024
2025
2,731,585
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population shrank 0.1% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Chicago is the #3 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #1 in Illinois.
▸ Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
2,748,333
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
-16,748
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
-0.6%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+5,253
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.2%
within V2025 only
Density
11,994
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
227.7
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#3
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#1
of 1,294 in Illinois
What is the median household income in Chicago?
Median household income is 0% above the U.S. median ($77,902 vs $77,719); 16.8% live in poverty — 4.3 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$77,902
US
Chicago: $77,902 — 0% above the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Chicago
$77,902
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Chicago from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
77,902+0.2% vs US
±907
Per capita income
50,086+15.7% vs US
±581
Population in poverty
16.8%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 10% above the U.S. median ($334,100 vs $303,400); median rent is 7% above ($1,440 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio (4.3×) is roughly in line with the U.S. median (3.9×).
Median home value$334,100
US
Chicago: $334,100 — 10% above the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,781/mo
US
Chicago: $1,781/mo — 65% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Chicago. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
5.5%
Chicago (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
1,481,540
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
21.0%+49.9% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Chicago spans 2 counties; all are listed (no weighted average):
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Cook County
13.7%
$82,729
5.4%
DuPage County
6.3%
$110,974
4.3%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Chicago's linked 2 counties in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
475,850
$1,262 / wk
#2
Professional and technical services (54)
293,005
$2,647 / wk
#3
Accommodation and food services (72)
274,898
$688 / wk
#4
Retail trade (44-45)
267,722
$840 / wk
#5
Manufacturing (31-33)
236,103
$1,639 / wk
What workers earn in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand is the largest tracked occupation in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro (157,920 jobs, median $40,550/yr).
▸ Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
157,920
$40,550
$19.50
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
108,520
$38,180
$18.36
Cashiers
99,240
$35,010
$16.83
Fast Food and Counter Workers
97,280
$34,630
$16.65
Stockers and Order Fillers
79,850
$38,450
$18.48
Customer Service Representatives
75,240
$47,100
$22.65
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
70,000
$38,470
$18.49
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
122,930
$109,390
$52.59
Registered Nurses · benchmark
100,240
$100,490
$48.31
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
96,950
$35,820
$17.22
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
62,210
$62,300
$29.95
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 3.6% above the U.S. average (RPP 103.6); utilities run 16.4% below (RPP 83.6) — the metro's utility affordability is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 103.6
US
Chicago's cost of living runs 3.6% above the U.S. average (RPP 103.6 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 103.6
+3.6% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,781/mo
FY2026 · Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
4.95%
flat · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$8,077/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$4,975/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in Illinois · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
20.9% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (23.7% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Chicago's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
Hottest month: July (84°F avg high). Coldest: January (18°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 37.6 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Chicago from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk spans 97.6–100.0/100 across 2 counties; most-cited top hazard is Winter Weather (in 1 of 2).
Natural-hazard exposure for Chicago from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
Chicago spans 2 counties. We list each separately because hurricane, flood, and fire risk varies meaningfully across county lines — manufacturing a single “city-level” risk score would hide that signal.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Cook County
100.0
Very High
Winter Weather 100.0 Very High · Cold Wave 100.0 Very High · Tornado 100.0 Very High
DuPage County
97.6
Relatively High
Cold Wave 99.7 Very High · Tornado 99.3 Very High · Strong Wind 99.2 Very High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Chicago?
20 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 52% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Chicago from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
20 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
17
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
51.9%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
51.9%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
1,349,521
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Chicago?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 14,245 violent and 91,626 property offenses in the Chicago jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 539.8 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Chicago — an FBI jurisdiction population of 2,638,698, versus the Census place population of 2,731,585. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
14,245
539.8
359.1
Property crime
91,626
3,472.4
1,760.1
▸ Offense breakdown and 2-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
461
Rape
1,551
Robbery
8,847
Aggravated assault
3,386
Burglary
7,778
Larceny-theft
61,185
Motor vehicle theft
22,663
Arson (12-month reporters only)
462
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2023
606.8
3,431.9
2,628,298
2024
539.8
3,472.4
2,638,698
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2023–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Chicago · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Chicago sits at state rank #1 among 1,294 cities in Illinois. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Los Angeles, CA · #2 · 3,869,089 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Houston, TX · #4 · 2,397,315 residents.
Quick travel facts for Chicago
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
Chicago Midway International Airport(MDW) ·
5 mi 8 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Sep · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Chicago.
How many people live in Chicago, IL?
Chicago has 2,731,585 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #3 largest city in the United States and #1 in Illinois. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Chicago growing or shrinking?
Chicago has shrunk 0.6% since the April 2020 census baseline, losing 16,748 residents. The most recent year ticked up slightly (+5,253 residents, +0.2% from 2024 to 2025). Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
The GEOID for Chicago is 1714000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
