Chicago is an enormous city located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 2,664,452 people and 792 associated neighborhoods, Chicago is the largest community in Illinois. Chicago has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities. Chicago real estate is some of the most expensive in Illinois, although Chicago house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Chicago is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Chicago is a city of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Chicago who work in management occupations (12.18%), office and administrative support (9.43%), and business and financial occupations (8.79%). Also of interest is that Chicago has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. A relatively large number of people in Chicago telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 18.29% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. One downside of living in Chicago is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Chicago, the average commute to work is 34.22 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the city, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative. In addition, it is also a pedestrian-friendly city. Many of Chicago’s neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. One of the benefits of being a big city like Chicago is having a public transportation system, but in Chicago the transit system is the mode of choice for lots of people getting to and from work every day. You will find many people using the bus for their daily commute, even though other transportation options exist. If you ask these commuters, many will tell you that not having to drive in the snarl of big city traffic is one of main reasons for leaving the car at home, or even not owning a car at all. With so many people taking the bus Chicago benefits from a reduction in air pollution and traffic.The education level of Chicago ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Chicago, 43.32% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree. The per capita income in Chicago in 2022 was $48,148, which is wealthy relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $192,592 for a family of four. However, Chicago contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Chicago is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Chicago home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Chicago residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Chicago also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 29.61% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Chicago include German, Irish, Polish, Italian, and English. Chicago also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 20.71%. The most common language spoken in Chicago is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
