How serious are America’s mayors? · Incorporated city
Chicago, IL
2,721,308 people, 2024 · Census GEOID 1714000 · Census profile · mayors: being verified
Overall in 2023, Chicago ranked #261 of 340 cities and 6th of 14 in its peer group, on 9 of 9 measures. Weigh the measures yourself · how ranks are made
Its peer group is Chicago and the 13 cities most like it in 2005 (size, income, poverty, industry, growth, density, place), fixed since: Philadelphia PA, Los Angeles CA, Houston TX, Boston MA, Dallas TX, Phoenix AZ, San Diego CA, San Antonio TX, Columbus OH, Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Indianapolis IN, Detroit MI · on the map, and why
| Topline | 2005–2024 | Latest rank | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rankamong all cities with a score that year | #261 of 340 cities · 6th of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | #330 | #299 | #279 | #290 | #291 | #284 | #326 | #326 | #319 | #321 | #327 | #307 | #307 | #321 | #297 | #332 | #278 | #263 | #261 | #308 | |
| people · size, not ranked | 2,752,523 | 2,720,181 | 2,703,991 | 2,697,359 | 2,697,006 | 2,697,477 | 2,708,114 | 2,719,141 | 2,725,731 | 2,727,066 | 2,724,344 | 2,716,723 | 2,711,069 | 2,701,423 | 2,693,976 | 2,745,196 | 2,706,324 | 2,684,076 | 2,699,144 | 2,721,308 | ||
| net movers per 100 residents · estimate · higher is better | #256 of 340 cities · 7th of 14 in its peer group | -1.9 | -1.8 | -1.2 | -0.9 | -0.6 | — | -0.6 | -0.5 | -0.6 | -0.9 | -1.1 | -1.2 | -1.3 | -1.2 | -1.0 | -0.2 | -1.8 | -1.9 | -1.1 | -0.7 | |
| new homes per 1,000 residents · higher is better | #196 of 271 cities with data · 11th of 11 in its peer group with data | 3.9 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.6 | |
| rent as % of income · lower is better | #93 of 340 cities · 3rd of 14 in its peer group | 22.9% | 22.3% | 21.9% | 22.1% | 23.3% | 24.2% | 24.9% | 24.4% | 24.0% | 23.8% | 23.3% | 23.4% | 23.2% | 23.1% | 22.0% | — | 22.4% | 22.6% | 22.4% | 22.1% | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #273 of 304 cities with data · 9th of 14 in its peer group | 16.3 | 17.2 | 16.4 | 18.9 | 17.0 | 16.0 | 15.9 | 18.4 | 15.3 | 15.2 | 17.7 | 28.3 | 24.1 | 21.0 | 18.4 | 28.1 | — | 22.5 | 18.5 | 16.9 | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #123 of 295 cities with data · 2nd of 12 in its peer group with data | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 53.3 | 41.9 | 41.0 | |
| jobs · size, not ranked | 1,152,235 | 1,157,967 | 1,205,745 | 1,218,944 | 1,219,318 | 1,239,253 | 1,262,047 | 1,280,618 | 1,303,576 | 1,313,974 | 1,325,917 | 1,372,265 | 1,380,838 | 1,390,748 | 1,416,530 | 1,307,795 | 1,316,621 | 1,409,411 | 1,463,210 | — | ||
| points ahead of the metro · higher is better | #75 of 329 cities with data · 3rd of 13 in its peer group with data · 2023 | -3.4 | -0.9 | +1.8 | +0.9 | +3.7 | +1.2 | -0.4 | +0.4 | +0.6 | -0.6 | -0.6 | +1.6 | +0.4 | -0.1 | +1.6 | -0.9 | +0.1 | +2.1 | +1.5 | — | |
| people · size, not ranked | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,228,337 | 1,247,305 | 1,268,763 | 1,280,905 | 1,312,930 | 1,346,975 | 1,352,540 | 1,369,653 | 1,381,838 | — | 1,336,812 | 1,384,898 | 1,423,998 | 1,459,580 | ||
| % of workforce · lower is better | #303 of 340 cities · 13th of 14 in its peer group | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14.1% | 13.7% | 12.7% | 10.9% | 9.5% | 8.2% | 8.3% | 8.1% | 6.3% | — | 10.1% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 7.3% | |
| % of promises funded · not ranked: 38 cities report | 61% | 60% | 61% | 57% | 52% | 47% | 41% | 35% | 34% | 34% | 31% | 28% | 26% | 25% | 23% | 24% | 24% | 24% | 25% | 26% | ||
| surplus as % of revenue · higher is better | #265 of 314 cities with data · 12th of 14 in its peer group | 6% | 32% | -3% | 10% | 5% | 20% | 5% | 6% | 8% | 11% | 8% | 14% | 21% | 21% | 26% | 26% | 25% | 24% | 25% | 1% | |
| dollars per resident · lower is better | #300 of 314 cities with data · 12th of 14 in its peer group | $8,954 | $9,074 | $9,036 | $9,279 | $9,669 | $9,699 | $10,327 | $10,657 | $10,660 | $10,694 | $11,063 | $11,397 | $11,111 | $11,860 | $12,348 | $12,207 | $11,506 | $9,248 | $7,474 | $10,111 |
Click a row for its source and its rank in every year. 1st is best whichever way the measure points. A rank is out of all 340 cities, or out of its peer group of 14; where some had no value that year it says “with data” and counts only those. An em dash is a year the source does not hold for Chicago. A greyed homicide figure is a year the FBI holds as a transition year for this department. What each row is, and is not, is on the main page, with a link to every source in Sources.