Chicago is an enormous city located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 2,721,308 people and 792 associated neighborhoods, Chicago is the largest community in Illinois. Chicago has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, 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. Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 18.29% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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. Chicago, like many big cities in America, has a public transportation system, but the citizens of Chicago are lucky because theirs is one of the most extensive and widely used. Many commuters choose to leave their cars at home and instead use the bus to get to and from work. In fact, for some people it is feasible to forgo car ownership entirely, avoiding the cost and headache of driving in heavy traffic. The benefits include reduced air pollution and load on the road network.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.
