José Miguel Acosta-Córdova
Research Assistant, Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy
James J. Stukel Student Fellow, Great Cities Institute
Masters Candidate, UIC Urban Planning and Policy
President, Latino Planning Organization for Development, Education, and Regeneration (LPODER)
Chicago is a diverse city, with large populations of African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, and a range of other ethnic minorities. This report provides demographic data on Latinos in Chicago. Latinos first came to Chicago in the 1880s as evidenced by the establishment of the Mexican Consulate in 1884. In 2016, there were 2,099,428 Latinos in the Chicagoland area with 803,476 in the City of Chicago (2016 American Community Survey). Despite their longevity in the region and their large numbers, we seem to know little about their increasing presence, various socio-economic indicators and their locations within Chicago.
This report, which was developed for Metropolitan Family Services to further its delivery of social services, presents demographic characteristics of Latinos in Chicago and examines the neighborhoods with a majority Latino population. By using primarily U.S. Census Data, this report provides citywide data on Latinos in Chicago and in more detail, examines 12 neighborhoods where there are at least 25,000 Latinos and have emerged as a majority.