Demographics of Chicago

Demographics of Chicago
Population pyramid of Chicago in 2021
Population	2,665,039 (2022 est.)[1]

The demographics of Chicago show that it is a large, and ethnically and culturally diverse metropolis. It is the third largest city and metropolitan area in the United States by population. Chicago was home to over 2.7 million people in 2020, accounting for over 25% of the population in the Chicago metropolitan area, home to approximately 9.6 million.

The racial makeup of the city in 2020 was 35.9% White, 29.2% Black, 7% Asian, 1.3% Native American or Alaska Native, 10.8% from two or more races, and 15.8% from some other race.^[2] The ethnic makeup of the population is 29.8% Hispanic, with 70.2% belonging to a non Hispanic background.^[3] English is the primary language of the city. Christianity is the predominant faith.

During its first century as a city, Chicago grew at a rate that ranked among the fastest growing in the world. Within the span of forty years, the city's population grew from slightly under 30,000 to over 1 million by 1890. By the close of the 19th century, Chicago was the fifth largest city in the world.^[4] Within fifty years of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the population had tripled to over 3 million.^[5] The city's population peaked in the 1950 Census, although two of the three most recent Censuses as of 2024 have shown moderate growth.