At the 1920 Census, Chicago’s population was 2.7 million, up over 516,000 in a decade. More than 100 years later, Chicago’s population is 2.66 million, a loss of 128,034 from nine straight years of decline.
By Bryce Hill | Illinois Policy Institute
Chicago’s population is lower now than it was in 1920, with steady drops in each of the past nine years.
According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Chicago’s population was 2,664,452 in July 2023. Chicago’s population has not been this low in more than 100 years.
At the 1920 Census, Chicago’s population was counted at 2,701,705, an increase of more than 516,000 since the 1910 Census which pegged the city population at just under 2.2 million. Fast forward more than 100 years and Chicago’s population is at lower levels now than it was then.
While Chicago’s population increased rapidly in the first half of the 20th century, the population peaked in 1950 at just over 3.62 million residents. Since then, the city population has declined: steadily from 1950-1990, then a fluctuating drop since 1990.
Currently, Chicago is on a nine-year losing streak. The U.S. Census Bureau has estimated Chicago’s population has declined each year since 2014, losing 128,034 residents.
From July 2022-July 2023, Chicago lost more than 8,000 residents, the third-largest decline of any city in the nation. If post-pandemic population trends hold, Chicago will soon be overtaken by Houston for the title of America’s third-largest city.
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