Chicago, Illinois

General information
Mayor:| Lori Lightfoot
Last mayoral election:| 2019
Next mayoral election:| 2023
Last city council election:| 2019
Next city council election:| 2023
City council seats:| 50
City website
Composition data (2019)
Population:| 2,709,534
Race:| White 50.0%
African American 29.6%
Asian 6.6%
Native American 0.3%
Pacific Islander 0.0%
Two or more 2.8%
Ethnicity:| Hispanic 28.8%
Median household income:| $58,247
High school graduation rate:| 85.1%
College graduation rate:| 39.5%
Related Chicago offices
Illinois Congressional Delegation
Illinois State Legislature
Illinois state executive offices

Chicago is a city in Cook County, Illinois. The city's population was 2,746,388 as of 2020, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Click on the links below to learn more about the city's...

* Mayor
* City council
* Other elected officials
* Elections
* Census information
* Budget
* Contact information
* Ballot measures
* County government

## Contents

* 1 City government
* 1.1 Mayor
* 1.2 City council
* 1.3 Other elected officials
* 2 Mayoral partisanship
* 3 Elections
* 3.1 2019
* 3.2 2017
* 3.3 2015
* 4 Census information
* 5 Budget
* 5.1 Fiscally standardized cities data
* 5.1.1 Historical total revenue and expenditure
* 5.2 Chicago, Illinois salaries and pensions over $95,000
* 6 Contact information
* 7 Ballot measures
* 8 Noteworthy events
* 8.1 2020: Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
* 8.2 2017: City files lawsuit against the U.S. Justice Department
* 8.3 2016: FBI reports increase in reported murders
* 8.4 2015: Study on city's nondiscrimination laws
* 9 See also
* 10 External links
* 11 Footnotes

## City government[edit]

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of Chicago utilizes a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body, and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[1]

### Mayor[edit]

See also: List of current mayors of the top 100 cities in the United States

The mayor serves as the city's chief executive and is responsible for proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors and committee members, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations.[2] The current Mayor of Chicago is Lori Lightfoot. Lightfoot assumed office on May 20, 2019.

### City council[edit]

See also: List of current city council officials of the top 100 cities in the United States

The Chicago City Council is the city's primary legislative body. It is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving mayoral appointees, levying taxes, acquiring or selling land, and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances.[3]

The Chicago City Council is made up of 50 members (called aldermen) from 50 wards. They are elected by district to four-year terms.[3]

* Click here for a current list of council members

Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office | Date term ends

|
|
|
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Chicago City Council Ward 1 | Daniel La Spata | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 2 | Brian Hopkins | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 3 | Pat Dowell | Nonpartisan | 2007 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 4 | Sophia King | Nonpartisan | 2016 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 5 | Leslie Hairston | Nonpartisan | 1999 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 6 | Roderick Sawyer | Nonpartisan | 2011 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 7 | Gregory Mitchell | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 8 | Michelle Harris | Nonpartisan | 2007 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 9 | Anthony Beale | Nonpartisan | 1999 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 10 | Susan Garza | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 11 | Nicole Lee | Nonpartisan | 2022 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 12 | George Cardenas | Nonpartisan | 2003 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 13 | Marty Quinn | Nonpartisan | 2011 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 14 | Edward Burke | Nonpartisan | 1969 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 15 | Raymond Lopez | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 16 | Stephanie Coleman | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 17 | David Moore | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 18 | Derrick Curtis | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 19 | Matthew O'Shea | Nonpartisan | 2011 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 20 | Jeanette Taylor | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 21 | Howard Brookins | Nonpartisan | 2003 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 22 | Michael Rodriguez | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 23 | Silvana Tabares | Nonpartisan | 2018 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 24 | Michael Scott | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 25 | Byron Sigcho-Lopez | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 26 | Roberto Maldonado | Nonpartisan | 2009 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 27 | Walter Burnett | Nonpartisan | 1995 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 28 | Jason Ervin | Nonpartisan | 2011 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 29 | Chris Taliaferro | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 30 | Ariel Reboyras | Nonpartisan | May 7, 2003 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 31 | Felix Cardona Jr. | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 32 | Scott Waguespack | Nonpartisan | 2007 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 33 | Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 34 | Carrie Austin | Nonpartisan | August 5, 1994 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 35 | Carlos Ramirez-Rosa | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 36 | Gilbert Villegas | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 37 | Emma Mitts | Nonpartisan | 2000 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 38 | Nicholas Sposato | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 39 | Samantha Nugent | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 40 | André Vasquez | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 41 | Anthony Napolitano | Nonpartisan | 2015 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 42 | Brendan Reilly | Nonpartisan | 2007 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 43 | Michele Smith | Nonpartisan | 2011 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 44 | Thomas Tunney | Nonpartisan | 2003 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 45 | Jim Gardiner | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 46 | James Cappleman | Nonpartisan | 2011 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 47 | Matt Martin | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 48 | Harry Osterman | Nonpartisan | 2011 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 49 | Maria Hadden | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Council Ward 50 | Debra Silverstein | Nonpartisan | 2011 | May 15, 2023

The widget below automatically displays information about city council meetings. The topic list contains a sampling of keywords that Voterheads, a local government monitoring service, found in each meeting agenda. Click the meeting link to see more info and the full agenda:

### Other elected officials[edit]

* Click here for a current list of other city officeholders

Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office | Date term ends

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|
|
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Chicago City Clerk | Anna Valencia | Nonpartisan | January 25, 2017 | May 15, 2023
Chicago City Treasurer | Melissa Conyears-Ervin | Nonpartisan | May 20, 2019 | May 15, 2023

## Mayoral partisanship[edit]

See also: Party affiliation of the mayors of the 100 largest cities

Chicago has a Democratic mayor. As of May 2022, 62 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 26 are affiliated with the Republican Party, four are independents, seven identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and one mayor's affiliation is unknown. While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party. Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.

## Elections[edit]

### 2019[edit]

See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019)

The city of Chicago, Illinois, held nonpartisan elections for mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, and all 50 seats on the city council on February 26, 2019. A runoff election for races in which no candidate received a majority of the vote took place on April 2, 2019. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was November 26, 2018.

### 2017[edit]

See also: Municipal elections in Chicago, Illinois (2017)

The city of Chicago, Illinois, held a special election for the Ward 4 seat on the city council on February 28, 2017.[4]

### 2015[edit]

See also: Municipal elections in Chicago, Illinois (2015)

The city of Chicago, Illinois, held nonpartisan elections for mayor and city council on February 24, 2015. A runoff election for races in which no candidate received a majority of the votes took place on April 7, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was November 24, 2014. All 50 city council seats were up for election.[5]

## Census information[edit]

The table below shows demographic information about the city.

Demographic Data for Chicago (2020)

| Chicago
Population | 2,699,347
Land area (sq mi) | 227
Race and ethnicity**
White | 47.7%
Black/African American | 29.2%
Asian | 6.8%
Native American | 0.3%
Pacific Islander | 0%
Two or more | 5.3%
Hispanic/Latino | 28.6%
Education
High school graduation rate | 85.9%
College graduation rate | 41.1%
Income
Median household income | $62,097
Persons below poverty level | 17.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020)
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

## Budget[edit]

The city's budget process operates by fiscal calendar years running from January 1 to December 31. Each summer, city departments begin the budget process by giving the Office of Budget Management (OBM) their projections on personnel and non-personnel needs for the coming year. The mayor and OBM then combine these figures, along with feedback from the public, to propose a budget on or before October 15. The city council holds committee and public hearings on the proposed budget. Once approved by the city council, the budget becomes the Annual Appropriation Ordinance and is officially implemented on January 1 of the following year. The city is required by state law to maintain a balanced budget.[6]

### Fiscally standardized cities data[edit]

The fiscally standardized cities (FiSC) data below was compiled by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to make municipal budgets comparable across cities in the United States.[7]

“  |

FiSCs are constructed by adding revenues and expenditures of each central city municipal government to a portion of the revenues and expenditures of overlying governments, including counties, independent school districts, and special districts. The allocations to FiSCs are estimates of the revenues collected from and services provided to central city residents and businesses by these overlying independent governments. Thus FiSCs provides a full picture of revenues raised from city residents and businesses and spending on their behalf, whether done by the city government or a separate overlying government.[8]

| ”

|
|

—Lincoln Institute of Land Policy[9]

The tables below show estimated finances within city limits. As such, the revenue and expenses listed may differ from the actual city budget.

| Revenue in 2017

Revenue type | Amount
Total Revenue | $23,611,280,232
General Revenue | $19,440,111,847
Federal Aid | $1,893,204,885
State Aid | $4,855,229,015
Tax Revenue | $8,547,889,389
Charges & Misc. General Revenue | $4,143,761,369
Utility Revenue | $1,166,891,772
Liquor Store Revenue | $0
Employee Retirement Trust Revenue | $3,004,276,613

| Expenditures in 2017

Expenditure type | Amount
Total Expenditures | $24,537,979,960
General Expenditures | $18,135,913,101
Education Services Expenditure | $5,498,641,343
Social Services and Income Maintenance Expenditure | $1,358,387,420
Transportation Expenditure | $1,995,029,563
Public Safety Expenditure | $2,377,776,154
Environment and Housing Expenditure | $3,031,031,081
Governmental Administration Expenditure | $809,213,899
Interest on General Debt | $1,726,206,976
Miscellaneous Expenditure | $1,339,626,665
Utility Expenditure | $2,236,689,839
Liquor Store Expenditure | $0
Employee Retirement Trust Expenditure | $4,164,914,800
Intergovernmental Expenditures | $435,032

#### Historical total revenue and expenditure[edit]

To see the historical total revenue or expenditures as a rounded amount in this city, hover over the bars.[7]

### Chicago, Illinois salaries and pensions over $95,000[edit]

Below is a map of the nationwide salaries and pensions in this city over $95,000. To search a different ZIP code, enter it in the search bar within the map.

## Contact information[edit]

Mayor's office
121 N. LaSalle Street
Chicago City Hall 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-744-5000

City Clerk's office
121 N. LaSalle Street
City Hall Council Chambers 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-742-5375

Click here for city council contact information.

## Ballot measures[edit]

See also: Cook County, Illinois ballot measures

The city of Chicago is in Cook County. A list of ballot measures in Cook County is available here.

## Noteworthy events[edit]

### 2020: Events and activity following the death of George Floyd[edit]

See also: Events following the death of George Floyd and responses in select cities from May 29-31, 2020

During the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, demonstrations and protests took place in cities nationwide, including Chicago, following the death of George Floyd. Events in Chicago, Illinois, began on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, with a demonstration outside Chicago Public Safety Headquarters organized by Chance the Rapper and Rev. Michael Pfleger.[10] On May 30, Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) issued a 9:00 P.M. - 6:00 A.M. curfew, saying, "What started out as peaceful protest has now devolved into criminal conduct."[11] The curfew began on the night of May 30 with no specified end date.[11] On May 31, Lightfoot requested that Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) deploy the Illinois National Guard to Chicago. Later that day, 375 members were activated in the city.[12]

### 2017: City files lawsuit against the U.S. Justice Department[edit]

See also: Sanctuary policy preemption conflicts between the federal and local governments

On September 15, 2017, U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber ordered a preliminary injunction to block plans by the U.S. Department of Justice to connect public safety grants to cooperation with federal immigration agents. The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by the city of Chicago on August 7, 2021, against the department over revised criteria for the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program, which is used to provide federal funding to cities and counties for police equipment and training.[13] In his ruling, Leinenweber said, "The court finds that the city has established that it would suffer irreparable harm if a preliminary injunction is not entered." The injunction applied nationwide because Leinenweber concluded that the issues presented by Chicago could apply to other cities.[14][15]

On July 25, 2017, the Department of Justice announced that jurisdictions wishing to receive JAG funds had to comply with three new conditions: 1) the city had to share any immigration status information collected by city agents with federal officials, 2) the city had to honor requests by federal immigration officials to receive 48-hour notice prior to releasing certain detainees, and 3) the city had to allow federal immigration officials access to local jails and prisons in order to interrogate prisoners. In announcing the new requirements, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R) stated that local jurisdictions needed to partner more closely with federal immigration authorities as part of the Justice Department’s strategies to reduce violent crime. Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance, which began as a policy initiative of then-Mayor Harold Washington in 1985 and was codified as a city ordinance in 2006, prohibited or restricted city police from complying with all three of these conditions.

The city contended that the new criteria were unconstitutional. In filing for a preliminary injunction preventing enforcement of the new criteria for JAG funding, the city argued that the government could not deny JAG funding to the city as the grants were based on a statutory formula created by Congress, and that both the president and the Justice Department lacked the constitutional authority to alter Congress’ requirements for awarding the grants. In its filing, the city petitioned the court to issue a ruling by the September 5, 2017, deadline to apply for the JAG program. Chicago had expected to receive $3.2 million in JAG grants that year to purchase new police vehicles and equipment.[16][17][18]

On April 28, 2021, the President Joe Biden (D) rescinded the executive order made by former President Donald Trump (D) that introduced penalties against sanctuary cities, including making them ineligible for federal grants.[19]

### 2016: FBI reports increase in reported murders[edit]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported 765 murders in Chicago in 2016, a 60% increase over the 478 murders reported in 2015. This total represented the city's highest number of reported murders since 789 were reported in 1996. From 1985 to 2016, Chicago's annual murder totals peaked at 939 in 1992 and hit a low of 415 in 2014.[20]

In 2017, there were 653 murders. A Pew Research Center report stated that Chicago had the 14th-highest murder rate, at 24.1 murders per 100,000 people, among cities with more than 100,000 residents in 2017.[21]

The following table shows the city's murder totals as reported by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics database from 1985 to 2017.[20]

### 2015: Study on city's nondiscrimination laws[edit]

See also: Employment nondiscrimination laws in Illinois

In July 2015, the Movement Advancement Project described Chicago, Illinois, as a city or county that prohibited discrimination in employment on the basis of gender identity via ordinances that apply to public and private employers. At that time, a total of 71 of America's largest 100 cities prohibited private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, while 69 of those cities also prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. This did not include those jurisdictions that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity for government employees.[22]

Nondiscrimination laws can cover a variety of areas, including public employment, private employment, housing, and public accommodations. Such laws may be enacted at the state, county, or city level.

## See also[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* Cities in Illinois
* Cook County, Illinois
* Largest cities in the United States by population

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* Official city website
* Office of the Mayor
* Chicago City Council
* Chicago Office of Budget and Management
* Chicago Municipal Code

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ City of Chicago, "Chicago Government," accessed August 10, 2021
2. ↑ City of Chicago, "Office of the Mayor," accessed August 10, 2021
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 City of Chicago, "City Council, Your Ward & Alderman," accessed August 10, 2021
4. ↑ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "Candidate Filings for the February 28, 2017 Municipal Election," January 3, 2017
5. ↑ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed August 21, 2014
6. ↑ City of Chicago, "Operating Budget," accessed August 10, 2021
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities database," accessed June 4, 2021
8. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
9. ↑ Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities," accessed May 26, 2021
10. ↑ CBS Chicago, "Protest Held In Chicago After Death Of George Floyd During Arrest By Minneapolis Police," May 26, 2020
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 CBS Chicago, "Mayor Lightfoot Announces Curfew From 9 p.m. To 6 a.m. ‘Until Further Notice’ Amid George Floyd Protests," May 30, 2020
12. ↑ The Chicago Tribune, "How the weekend unfolded: Timeline of Chicago protests, looting and unrest," June 1, 2020
13. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Emanuel sues Trump's Justice Department over sanctuary city policy," August 7, 2017
14. ↑ Bloomberg, "Judge Blocks Trump on Threat to Punish Sanctuary Cities," September 15, 2017
15. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Judge rules in city's favor on sanctuary cities, grants nationwide injunction," September 15, 2017
16. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Emanuel sues Trump's Justice Department over sanctuary city policy," August 7, 2017
17. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Trump administration toughens policy against sanctuary cities," July 25, 2017
18. ↑ United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, The City of Chicago v. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, Attorney General of the United States - Complaint for injunctive and declaratory relief, filed August 7, 2017
19. ↑ Reuters, "United States Justice Department ends Trump-era limits on grants to ‘sanctuary cities,'" April 28, 2021
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Chicago Police Department, "Annual Report 2017," accessed December 14, 2018
21. ↑ Pew Research Center, "Despite recent violence, Chicago is far from the U.S. ‘murder capital,’" November 13, 2018
22. ↑ Movement Advancement Project, "Local Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinances," accessed July 7, 2015

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