City safety & data profile

Chicago HeightsIL

Chicago Heights, IL is a 30K-resident city in Cook County with a median household income of $54,798.

Cook County, Illinois. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Chicago Heights, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Chicago Heights has a population larger than 63% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $161,000.

Data updated 2026-07-20

30K
Population
Top 37%
By size
$54,798
Median income
$161,000
Median home
26.9%
Poverty rate

The read on Chicago Heights

Chicago Heights posts a median household income higher than 15% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 85%
by median income, US cities

Where Chicago Heights income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$54,798 Bottom 15% higher than 15% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. IL $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Chicago Heights, IL beyond the headline numbers

Chicago Heights sits inside Cook County, Illinois, at roughly 41.51°N, -87.64°W. Population 30,284, $54,798 median household income. Median home value $161,000, median rent $1,038. Poverty rate 26.9%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Chicago Heights's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 41.1%, then obesity at 38.1%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Chicago Heights from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
30,284
Chicago Heights
Median Income
$54,798
-19% vs avg
Median Home Value
$161,000
-29% vs avg
Median Age
35.2
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Cook County) - Chicago Heights's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
5.2M-1%
Median Income
$83,498+53%
Median Home Value
$324,500+40%
Poverty Rate
13.5%-20%
Unemployment
7%-43%

Economics

Economics indicators for Chicago Heights, IL
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,038/mo
Poverty Rate
26.9% +89% vs avg
Unemployment 14.5%
Bachelor's Degree+ 20.9%
Work From Home 6.7%
Public Transit 4.7%

Population

White 25.5%
African American 41.3%
Asian 0.3%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
41.1%
Obesity
38.1%
High Blood Pressure
36.2%
Physical Inactivity
31.2%
Lack of Health Insurance
18%
Frequent Mental Distress
17.4%
Binge Drinking
16.1%
Diabetes
15.4%
Current Smoking
14.8%
Frequent Physical Distress
14.6%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 52.4%
Annual Checkup 78.1%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
11.1%
Coronary Heart Disease
6.3%
Stroke
4.3%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Chicago Heights, IL? ▼
Chicago Heights, IL has a population of 30,284 people, located in Cook County, Illinois.
What is the median household income in Chicago Heights? ▼
The median household income in Chicago Heights, IL is $54,798 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 26.9%.
What is the median home value in Chicago Heights? ▼
The median home value in Chicago Heights, IL is $161,000. Median rent is $1,038/month.
What are the top health concerns in Chicago Heights? ▼
The top health indicators in Chicago Heights include Short Sleep Duration (41.1%), Obesity (38.1%), High Blood Pressure (36.2%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Chicago Heights? ▼
The median age in Chicago Heights, IL is 35.2 years. 20.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Chicago Heights, IL is located in Cook County, Illinois. With a population of 30K and a $54,798 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Safety alerts for the Chicago Heights area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Illinois

Real-time AQI for every monitored Illinois location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Park Forest, IL 22K Homewood, IL 19K Sauk Village, IL 10K Richton Park, IL 14K Matteson, IL 19K Hazel Crest, IL 14K South Holland, IL 22K Harvey, IL 25K
All cities in Illinois → Compare Chicago Heights vs Park Forest → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Chicago Heights's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Chicago Heights area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Chicago Heights against Illinois peers on any ranking lens. Explore Illinois

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Cook County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.