People constantly come and go, but new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show that Chicago lost about 81,000 people, or just under 3% of its population, from 2020 to 2022. Despite the decline, the city retained its position as the nation’s third most populous city, after New York City and Los Angeles, in 2022. Houston was ranked fourth.
Chicago’s population as of July 1, 2022, was estimated at 2,665,039, with changes calculated from the estimated base of April 1, 2020.
The census also estimates that Illinois lost more than 230,000 people, or about 1.8%, in that time. Much of the reported decline — about 176,000 — came in the Chicago metropolitan area, which covers 14 counties including Cook and the collar counties, and extends into Indiana and Wisconsin.
Choose your Chicago-area county below to see data for incorporated places.
The population of Cook County on July 1, 2022 was 5.1 million, a decrease of 3.2% since 2020.
Afternoon Briefing
Daily
Chicago Tribune editors’ top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.
The population of DuPage County on July 1, 2022 was 920,901, a decrease of 1.3% since 2020.
The population of Kane County on July 1, 2022 was 514,182, a decrease of 0.5% since 2020.
The population of Lake County on July 1, 2022 was 709,150, a decrease of 0.7% since 2020.
The population of McHenry County on July 1, 2022 was 311,747, an increase of 0.5% since 2020.
The population of Will County on July 1, 2022 was 696,757, an increase of 0.1% since 2020.
Sources: Tribune reporting and archives; U.S. Census Bureau
