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. Much of the housing stock in Chicago was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country. 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. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 18.29% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 34.22 minutes every day commuting to work. It is, however, a pedestrian-friendly city. Many of its neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. In addition, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead. Chicago is a big city, and with that comes lots of benefits. One benefit is that most big cities have public transit, but Chicago really shines when it comes to the extensiveness and use of its public transit system. More than most large American cities, Chicago citizens use public transit daily to get to and from work. And while there are transportation options, most people in Chicago ride the bus. Whereas in some cities one is destined to sit in traffic every morning to get to work and every evening to get home, in Chicago a lot leave their cars at home (if they even choose to own one), and hop a ride on the bus.Chicago is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 43.32% of adults in Chicago have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher. 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.
