1. Shifting Population Trends in Chicago and the Chicago Metro Area
- Author:
- William Scarborough, Amanda E. Lewis, and Ivan Arenas
- Publication Date:
- 06-2022
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP), University of Illinois at Chicago
- Abstract:
- Few cities have seen such tremendous population changes as Chicago over the past century. By 1920, Chicago was the fastest growing city in the U.S. In 1950, the Chicago Metropolitan Area was the eighth largest in the world, with a larger population than Beijing, Mexico City, and Rio de Janeiro. Half a century later, population trends have changed dramatically. From 2000 to 2010, Chicago was the only U.S. city among the ten largest to lose population. Since 2010, Chicago’s population has grown slightly, but at rates lower than all other major U.S. cities. In this report, we explore these complex population trends for the city of Chicago and the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Factors driving population changes in the Chicago region are experienced differently across race. Drawing from a full century of data, we uncover distinct population trajectories for Black, Latinx, and white residents (the three largest groups in the area), showing how population growth for some groups often occurs alongside population decline for others. We also investigate the relationship of these population shifts to levels of inequality in the region, showing how population loss is often precipitated by increased racial inequality.
- Topic:
- Population, Inequality, Urban, Racism, and Suburbanization
- Political Geography:
- North America, Illinois, and United States of America