The Chicago Urban League report shows strong Economic Realities – NBC Chicago

A new report by Chicago Urban League shows a strong economic reality for black families in all of Chicago.

The report “State of Black Chicago” 2025, which was released on Tuesday morning during the annual Summit breakfast of the Urban League, emphasizes persistent differences in income, home ownership, education and health results, but this was the most amazing knowledge: The mean net wealth of Black Chicago residents was 0 US dollar.

“Medium assets are zero … not five, not $ 10,000, but zero,” said Karen Freeman-Wilson, President and CEO of Chicago Urban League.

The finding is in a strong contrast to the middle net assets for white families in Chicago, which according to the report is 210,000 US dollars.

The report entitled “A Head of Wirtschaftsbau” describes both the challenges and the proposed solutions for the black population of the city.

A critical state

The mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, repeated the urgency of the moment during the event.

“The state of Black Chicago, like the condition of our entire city, is critical,” said Johnson.

The report of the Urban League is based on data and other examinations, including the knowledge from the color of the assets in the Chicago project, to show that black families remain in key areas such as home ownership.

Between 2012 and 2022, White Home Grew in Chicago from almost 70% to more than 72%. Black residential property hardly moved – from 43% to 44%.

“We are in a critical phase and in a critical condition in which we definitely have to look for new possibilities,” said Lutalo McGee, elected president of the Chicago Association of Realors.

Rooted in history

The supporters of apartments say that differences are due to decades of discrimination and systemic guidelines.

“I think we can look at one of the neighborhoods and dissolve the threads of history and see how most of these conditions were designed,” said Katelyn Johnson of Black Roots Alliance.

The report makes it clear that the gaps are not only financially. It also covers differences in education, employment, health and civic leadership – all elements of holistic wealth connected as interconnected.

A “ladder path” forward

Instead of only presenting data, the report 2025 introduces a framework that is referred to as the “Ladder Way of Insurance” and describes five levels of financial progress: money mindfulness, stable security, reduction in interest, wealth of the community and long -term growth.

The Urban League suggests a wide range of solutions to help the black residents of Chicago rise, including Business Accelerator programs, expanded efforts to competence and new homeowners such as the recently introduced with Kinexx Modular Construction and Ani Immobilien.

“While we talk about the state of Black Chicago, we will take up the solutions that give us the opportunity to help Chicagoans develop family applications,” said Freeman-Wilson.

“We just have to touch everyone who can be a possible homeowner and talk to them about the process, talk to them about the opportunity and show them the existing resources,” added McGee.

The full report also offers political recommendations that are supported by seed grants and incentives from property tax to the country of trusts and employers.

Read the full report

The Chicago Urban League of the Chicago 2025 State of Black Chicago can be downloaded here.