Minority groups in the metropolitan Chicago housing market: 1970–2015

Abstract

This paper examines the housing market of metropolitan Chicago from 1970 to 2015, with particular attention on the three largest minority groups – African Americans, Hispanics and Asians. The Hispanic and Asian populations of the metropolitan area have grown rapidly, while the African-American population has actually declined since 2000. Metro Chicago has a much larger Hispanic population than is typical for major northern metro areas in the USA. Suburban growth coupled with population decline in the central city has produced large minority populations in the suburbs along with sharp declines in the traditional African-American areas of the central city. African-American areas of concentrated poverty remain. Sizable mostly white population growth has occurred in and near the downtown area as most of the nearby public housing has been demolished.