Population 2,438 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in New Chicago
Household size in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.48 | 2.79 | 2.57 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.42 | 2.82 | 2.59 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.59 | 2.75 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.61 | 2.66 | 2.54 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.13 | −0.12 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Households in New Chicago average 2.61 people, about the same as the country as a whole (2.65). Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.48, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 35.4 | 36.8 | 37.5 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 38.5 | 37.8 | 38.4 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.6 | 38.9 | 39.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 29.1 | 39.7 | 39.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | −6.3 | +3.0 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
New Chicago is young: half of its residents are under 29.1, compared with a national median of 40.1. The population tilts toward young adults and children.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 17.9% | 12.0% | 11.8% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.2% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 18.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 19.1% | 11.5% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.2 pts | −0.5 pts | −0.1 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in New Chicago: 19.1% of all households, against 11.6% nationally.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in New Chicago
Renters in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.4% | 32.1% | 28.5% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 30.2% | 34.8% | 30.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 34.9% | 35.5% | 30.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 42.9% | 34.5% | 29.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +14.4 pts | +2.3 pts | +1.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
More than four in ten households in New Chicago rent their homes (42.9%), above the national share of 34.8%. Among owners, 42.1% have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.6% | 9.8% | 11.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 12.4% | 9.8% | 11.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 11.9% | 8.9% | 10.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 11.1% | 7.2% | 9.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | +0.4 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.0 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in New Chicago is close to the national rate: 11.1% of homes are empty, against 9.6%. The rate is higher than in the Chicago area overall (7.2%).
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1969 | 1966 | 1972 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1969 | 1967 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1967 | 1967 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1974 | 1970 | 1977 | 1980 |
| Change | +5 | +4 | +5 | +6 |
Housing in New Chicago leans a little older: the median home dates to 1974, against 1980 nationally. Locally, though, homes here are newer than in the Chicago area as a whole, where the median home dates to 1970.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $665 | $1,060 | $763 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $759 | $1,142 | $819 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $908 | $1,306 | $903 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,135 | $1,602 | $1,146 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$470 | +$542 | +$384 | +$606 |
Rent in New Chicago runs $1,135 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 28.2% of the typical renter's income, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in New Chicago
Bachelor's degrees in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.9% | 33.9% | 23.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.7% | 35.2% | 24.6% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 6.8% | 37.9% | 27.1% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 9.0% | 40.9% | 30.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +3.0 pts | +7.0 pts | +6.2 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in New Chicago: 9.0% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 78.3% | 85.6% | 86.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 75.5% | 86.7% | 87.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 78.8% | 88.4% | 88.7% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 77.9% | 89.5% | 89.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | −0.4 pts | +3.9 pts | +3.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
More than one in five adults in New Chicago never finished high school, well above the national share: only 77.9% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in New Chicago
| Period | New Chicago | Chicago area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.3% | 9.1% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 12.9% | 10.8% | 8.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 12.8% | 6.3% | 4.9% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.2% | 6.3% | 4.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.1 pts | −2.8 pts | −4.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Finding work has been harder in New Chicago: 8.2% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well above the national rate of 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
New Chicago compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Chicago | 2.61 | 29.1 | 19.1% | 42.9% | 11.1% | 1974 | $1,135 | 9.0% | 77.9% | 8.2% |
| Lake Station | 2.78 | 36.1 | 19.1% | 25.3% | 7.1% | 1963 | $1,173 | 8.3% | 77.1% | 13.3% |
| Hobart | 2.47 | 41.4 | 9.7% | 29.5% | 8.1% | 1971 | $1,171 | 21.1% | 93.9% | 3.9% |
| Gary | 2.56 | 38.1 | 25.5% | 49.5% | 24.1% | 1957 | $1,062 | 15.0% | 86.1% | 10.1% |
| Portage | 2.67 | 40.3 | 15.1% | 27.4% | 7.9% | 1983 | $1,317 | 18.5% | 89.8% | 6.6% |
| Ogden Dunes | 2.27 | 51.9 | 3.0% | 0.6% | 14.3% | 1960 | $1,241 | 73.4% | 97.6% | 2.6% |
| Wheeler | 2.76 | 43.8 | 6.6% | 11.6% | 2.3% | 1989 | $1,369 | 15.1% | 93.6% | 3.5% |
| Merrillville | 2.40 | 43.3 | 14.8% | 30.6% | 6.1% | 1979 | $1,296 | 25.6% | 91.8% | 7.6% |
| Deep River | 2.82 | 47.1 | 8.1% | 3.5% | 4.1% | 1993 | $1,369 | 23.7% | 91.5% | 3.3% |
| Griffith | 2.37 | 38.3 | 17.1% | 26.8% | 5.9% | 1966 | $1,213 | 27.1% | 95.5% | 3.6% |
| Burns Harbor | 2.47 | 40.8 | 12.9% | 30.9% | 7.8% | 1994 | $1,361 | 24.5% | 95.8% | 7.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Cimarron, KS · Eton, GA · Rome City, IN · King William, VA · Long Ridge, SC · North Webster, IN · Ogden, KS · Oxford, WI · Paia, HI · Pomerene, AZ
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up New Chicago. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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