Existing Conditions Demographics

Demographics

The city of Chicago has a long and distinguished history of being one of the most diverse and culturally vibrant cities in all of the US. This ethnic and cultural variety has permeated nearly every part of the city in the expression of the built environment. West Humboldt Park and Chicago Avenue are no different and the spectrum of diversity can be seen in the demographic information available today.

A Diverse Spectrum of Socioeconomics

The peak population of Humboldt Park was reached around the 1930’s with about 22,000 people living in the Chicago Avenue study area specifically. However, a variety of government policies, social shifts, and economic factors have contributed to a fairly substantial decrease in population in the last several decades. The present population of Chicago avenue rests at around 15,500 according to 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. From the time of the peak population in the 1930’s through 1960, more than 99% of Humboldt Park residents were white. However, by 1990 nearly 80% of population was non-white, primarily consisting of Black residents. In more recent times, the racial and ethnic makeup of Humboldt Park has shifted once again and is presently about 58 percent Hispanic/ Latinx, 32 percent Black, and 8 percent White with the remaining 2 percent being composed of other groups in the neighborhood as a whole.

Humboldt Park

Chicago

27.2%

18

20.9% 40.7%

18-44

43.8% Population 55,364

22.5% 9.6%

44-64 65+

22.9% 12.4%

Humboldt Park

Chicago

7.7%

White

32%

African American

33.3% 43.8% 58.4% Race and Ethnicity

1.3%

Hispanic or Latino

28.8% Others

6.5%

The distribution of these varied lived experiences is not uniform across the study area and there is an immense amount of granularity along the corridor. The figures below illustrate some of the variables examined and analyzed during the design process. Each of these factors demonstrates a unique and complex socioeconomic pattern within the study area. The distribution of wealth, ages, and mobility trends across the whole of West Humboldt Park has created a series of systems that are interconnected and interdependent upon one another.

Median Age median age of residents by census block group Education % of residents with a high school diploma, GED or higher Income median household income by census block group

26 - 30 30 - 35 35 - 40 40 - 43 45 - 54

Mobility % of residents living at the same residence as the year prior

< 60% 60 - 70% 70 - 80% 80 - 90% 90 - 100% Below 60% 60 - 70% 70 - 80% 80 - 90% 90 - 100%

Population Density population density by census block group

7 - 13 27 - 36

13 - 20 36 - 59 < $30k $30k - $40k 40k - $50k $50k - $60k $60k and up N/A

Poverty % of residents below poverty level in previous 12 months

0 - 7% 7 - 22% 23 - 30% 30 - 50% 50 - 71%

These demographic distributions of people within the community are atypical when compared to Chicago overall as well. In addition to the tremendous racial and ethnic diversity of the area, within our study area there is also diversity amongst ages with more than 27 percent of the population being under the age of 18. This is substantially higher than the average for Chicago as a whole and reflects the abundance of schools in the area as well.