Chicago is an enormous city located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 2,664,452 people and 792 associated neighborhoods, Chicago is the largest community in Illinois. Much of the housing stock in Chicago was built prior to World War II, 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.

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.

A relatively large number of people in Chicago telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 18.29% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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.

Chicago is one of the most attractive larger cities for people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. This makes it a good place to live for young singles in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting their professional careers. Although Chicago is a large city, this demographic is significant enough that young professionals will find many others like themselves here, with really good opportunities for friendships, recreation, romance, and more.

One downside of living in Chicago, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 34.22 minutes every day commuting to work. It is, however, a pedestrian-friendly city. Many of its neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot. In addition, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

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.

The education level of Chicago ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Chicago, 43.32% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.

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.