History of the Jews in Chicago

The 2020 estimate of the Jewish population in metropolitan Chicago is around 319,600, according to Brandeis University's Chicago Report. The population of Jewish people within the City of Chicago's limits is estimated to be around 240,000, with another 80,000 residing in the suburbs surrounding the major city.^[1] At the end of the 20th century there were a total of 270,000 Jews in the Chicago area, with 30% in the city limits.^[2] In 1995, over 80% of the suburban Jewish population lived in the northern and northwestern suburbs of Chicago.^[3] At this time, West Rogers Park was the largest Jewish community within the city of Chicago. However, the Jewish population within the city had been declining and tended to be older and more well-educated than the Chicago average. ^[4] The Jewish immigrants to Chicago came from many different countries, with the most common being Eastern Europe and Germany.^[2]