In 2023, the population of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metropolitan area in the United States was about 9.26 million people. This was a slight decrease from the previous year, which was about 9.27 million.

Graph and download economic data for Resident Population in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (MSA) (CHIPOP) from 2000 to 2022 about Chicago, WI, IN, IL, residents, population, and USA.

Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Chicago metro area from 1950 to 2025.

In 2023, the metropolitan area of New York-Newark-Jersey City had the biggest population in the United States. Based on annual estimates from the census, the metropolitan area had around 19.5 million inhabitants, which was a slight decrease from the previous year. The Los Angeles and Chicago metro areas rounded out the top three. What is a metropolitan statistical area? In general, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a core urbanized area with a population of at least 50,000 inhabitants – the smallest MSA is Carson City, with an estimated population of nearly 56,000. The urban area is made bigger by adjacent communities that are socially and economically linked to the center. MSAs are particularly helpful in tracking demographic change over time in large communities and allow officials to see where the largest pockets of inhabitants are in the country. How many MSAs are in the United States? There were 421 metropolitan statistical areas across the U.S. as of July 2021. The largest city in each MSA is designated the principal city and will be the first name in the title. An additional two cities can be added to the title, and these will be listed in population order based on the most recent census. So, in the example of New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York has the highest population, while Jersey City has the lowest. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts an official population count every ten years, and the new count is expected to be announced by the end of 2030.

Population totals for groupings commonly used in other datasets.

Not all values are available for all years.

Note that because the "Citywide" rows roll up the values from the individual ZIP Codes and the "Age 0-4," "Age 5-11," "Age 12-17," "Age 5+," "Age 18+," and "Age 65+" columns overlap other age categories, as well as each other in some cases, care should be taken in summing values to avoid accidental double-counting. The "Age 5-11" and "Age 12-17" columns only include children who live in households.

Data Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (ZIP Code) and 1-year estimates (Citywide). The U.S. Census Bureau did not release standard 1-year estimates from the 2020 ACS. In 2020 only, 5-year estimates were used for the Citywide estimates.

Graph and download economic data for Employed Persons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (MSA) (LAUMT171698000000005) from Jan 1990 to Aug 2025 about Chicago, WI, IN, IL, household survey, persons, employment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployed Persons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (MSA) (LAUMT171698000000004) from Jan 1990 to Aug 2025 about Chicago, WI, IN, IL, household survey, persons, unemployment, and USA.

This map shows the population density in Chicago by census tracts in 2010. Population Density is measured by people per square mile. The red shape that pops up in the map is the location of DePaul University's Department of Geography.

Selected variables from the most recent 5 year ACS Community Survey (Released 2023) aggregated by Ward. Additional years will be added as they become available. The underlying algorithm to create the dataset calculates the percent of a census tract that falls within the boundaries of a given ward. Given that census tracts and ward boundaries are not aligned, these figures should be considered an estimate. Total Population in this Dataset: 2,649,803 Total Population of Chicago reported by ACS 2023: 2,664,452 % Difference: %-0.55 There are different approaches in common use for displaying Hispanic or Latino population counts. In this dataset, following the approach taken by the Census Bureau, a person who identifies as Hispanic or Latino will also be counted in the race category with which they identify. However, again following the Census Bureau data, there is also a column for White Not Hispanic or Latino. The City of Chicago is actively soliciting community input on how best to represent race, ethnicity, and related concepts in its data and policy. Every dataset, including this one, has a "Contact dataset owner" link in the Actions menu. You can use it to offer any input you wish to share or to indicate if you would be interested in participating in live discussions the City may host. Code can be found here: https://github.com/Chicago/5-Year-ACS-Survey-Data Ward Shapefile: https://data.cityofchicago.org/Facilities-Geographic-Boundaries/Boundaries-Wards-2023-Map/cdf7-bgn3 Census Area Python Package Documentation: https://census-area.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (MSA) (LAUMT171698000000006A) from 1990 to 2024 about Chicago, WI, IN, IL, civilian, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.

Population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau by U.S. Census Block.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (MSA) (LAUMT171698000000003A) from 1990 to 2024 about Chicago, WI, IN, IL, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts statistics for Chicago city, Illinois. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits.

A dataset listing Illinois cities by population for 2024.

Content

Population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau by U.S. Census Block.

Context

This is a dataset hosted by the City of Chicago. The city has an open data platform found here and they update their information according the amount of data that is brought in. Explore the City of Chicago using Kaggle and all of the data sources available through the City of Chicago organization page!

• Update Frequency: This dataset is updated annually.

Acknowledgements

This dataset is maintained using Socrata's API and Kaggle's API. Socrata has assisted countless organizations with hosting their open data and has been an integral part of the process of bringing more data to the public.

Cover photo by Andres Urena on Unsplash
Unsplash Images are distributed under a unique Unsplash License.

Comprehensive demographic dataset for Ford City, Chicago, IL, US including population statistics, household income, housing units, education levels, employment data, and transportation with year-over-year changes.

How many incorporated places are registered in the U.S.?

There were 19,502 incorporated places registered in the United States as of July 31, 2019. 16,410 had a population under 10,000 while, in contrast, only 10 cities had a population of one million or more.

Small-town America

Suffice it to say, almost nothing is more idealized in the American imagination than small-town America. When asked where they would prefer to live, 30 percent of Americans reported that they would prefer to live in a small town. Americans tend to prefer small-town living due to a perceived slower pace of life, close-knit communities, and a more affordable cost of living when compared to large cities.

An increasing population

Despite a preference for small-town life, metropolitan areas in the U.S. still see high population figures, with the New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago metro areas being the most populous in the country. Metro and state populations are projected to increase by 2040, so while some may move to small towns to escape city living, those small towns may become more crowded in the upcoming decades.

In 2023, the real GDP of the Los Angeles metro area amount to around 1.08 trillion U.S. dollars, and increase after 2021. The overall quarterly GDP growth in the United States can be found here. Gross domestic product of Los AngelesWith a population of over 12.8 million inhabitants in 2023, Los Angeles is the second-largest city in America, following only New York. The Los Angeles metro area also ranked second among U.S. metro areas in terms of gross metropolitan product, second again only to New York City metro area, which came in with a GMP of 1.99 trillion U.S. dollars to Los Angeles’ 1.13 trillion U.S. dollars in the fiscal year of 2021. Chicago metro area ranked third with GMP of 757.2 billion U.S. dollars. Additional detailed statistics about GDP in the United States is available here. Despite Los Angeles’ high GDP, L.A. did not do as well as some cities in terms of median household income. Los Angeles ranked 9th with a median household income of 76,135 U.S. dollars annually in 2022. This was slightly higher than the median household income of the United States in 2022, which came in at 74,580 U.S. dollars annually. Located in Southern California, Los Angeles is home to Hollywood, the famous epicenter of the U.S. film and television industries. The United States is one of the leading film markets worldwide, producing 449 films in 2022, many of them produced by Hollywood-based studios. In 2018, movie ticket sales in North America generated over 11.89 billion U.S. dollars in box office revenue. Famous Hollywood actresses earn millions annually, with the best paid, Sofia Vergara, earning 43 million U.S. dollars in 2020. Second on the list was Angelina Jolie with earnings of 35.5 million U.S. dollars.

To advance ON TO 2050’s commitment to inclusive growth, CMAP has defined Economically Disconnected and Disinvested Areas within the region. Economically Disconnected Areas (EDAs) identify areas with concentrations of both low-income households and population of color or limited English proficiency population; approximately one-third of the region’s population lives in EDAs. Disinvested Areas (DAs) outline primarily nonresidential places with long-term declines in employment and other markers of commercial market weakness. Together, EDA and DA communities experience a persistent, long-term lack of market investment, leading to declining property values, taxes, employment, and, frequently, population. Disinvestment often constrains the ability of any individual community to respond effectively to these losses, and high tax rates and low market potential limit private investment. For these reasons, these geographies should be examined both separately and together. While some policy solutions will be common to both geographies, other solutions may be unique to each geography.More information can be found on CMAP's Economically Disconnected and Disinvested Areas webpage.Data sources are detailed in the methodology documents linked below:EDA MethodologyDisinvested Areas MethodologyInclusive Growth Strategy PaperReinvestment and Infill Strategy Paper

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts statistics for West Chicago city, Illinois. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits.