News Updates

New data to help communities make informed housing decisions

Communities in northeastern Illinois now have access to new data on housing demand, supply, and affordability, along with regional trends for both renters and owners. The dataset, published by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) in partnership with the DePaul University Institute for Housing Studies, includes Local Housing Profiles for each of northeastern Illinois’ 7 counties, 284 municipalities, and 77 Chicago community areas.

The data shows that cost burden is significant across our region. Cost-burdened households spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing; this affects both renters and homeowners, though it affects a higher percentage of renters.

Highlights from the Local Housing Profiles show that:

Homeowners far outnumber renters in northeastern Illinois. In 2023, 65 percent of regional households owned their homes, while 35 percent of households rented. Cook County has the smallest percentage of homeowners — 58 percent — while Kendall County has the most at 84 percent.

Renters in the region earn far less than those who own their homes, but the disparity varies across counties. In northeastern Illinois, homeowner incomes are at least 76 percent higher than renter incomes. In 2023, the average renter household in the region earned $59,724 compared to the average owner household which earned $120,738 — more than double. This disparity was highest in Lake County, where the average renter earned $73,182 less than the average homeowner.

In our region, nearly 48 percent of renters and 25 percent of homeowners were cost-burdened in 2023. The share of renter households burdened by cost is significant across all counties, with a low of 44 percent of renter households in DuPage County and a high of 56 percent of renter households in Kendall County. For households that own their homes, cost burden is lowest in McHenry County and highest in Cook County, where 22 percent and 28 percent of owners are cost-burdened, respectively.

The Local Housing Profiles are a resource for policymakers, planners, researchers, and residents to make informed decisions that support affordable housing in their communities. “Local governments can more effectively plan for ongoing housing development if they have access to reliable, accessible, and usable information on housing market conditions in their communities,” said CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman.

The profiles are already assisting CMAP in its work with Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties to develop housing readiness plans that identify and remove regulatory barriers which limit housing options. By using the Local Housing Profiles as a resource, the housing readiness plans enable counties and communities to better understand and respond to their housing needs.

The region’s long-range plan, ON TO 2050, recommends strategies for housing solutions, including a variety of housing types that will meet the needs of residents. It also anticipates population shifts — like aging and larger immigrant populations — and how those changes create different needs for communities.

View your community’s Local Housing Profile. The data is also available for download on CMAP’s Data Hub.