Chicago’s Black neighborhoods are being hit the hardest in property tax bills, as the value of homes on the South and West Sides bounce back more than a decade after the Great Recession, according to an analysis by the Cook County Treasurer’s Office.
Lower tax revenues and the slow economic recovery of Chicago’s business district in the Loop downtown has shifted that tax burden to homeowners on the South and West Sides, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said in her report.
Most neighborhoods on the North Side are paying property tax increases up to 20 percent. But most neighborhoods on the South and West Sides are seeing higher percentage increases on their property tax bills.
The biggest property tax increases are in West Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Englewood. West Garfield Park saw a 133 percent increase in their property tax bill, the highest in the entire city. North Lawndale had the second highest with 99 percent and residents in Englewood saw an 82.5 percent increase in their property tax bill.
In West Garfield Park, the median homeowner tax bill increased by nearly $2,000. In North Lawndale, it increased by nearly $1,900. In Englewood, the median property tax bill increased by $609.
In West Englewood and Fuller Park, residents saw property tax increases between 60 to 80 percent.
The median residential tax bill in Chicago rose 16.7 percent, to $4,457 — the largest percentage city increase in at least 30 years. In Lincoln Park, one of Chicago’s most affluent community areas, the median property tax bill was $9,410, a 5 percent increase from the previous year.
Percent-wise, homeowners on the South and West Sides are paying higher property tax increases.
The Crusader counted 46 community areas on the South and West Sides that saw property tax increases on their homes. Approximately 22 of those community areas had property tax increases between .01 percent to 20 percent.
And 14 community areas had property tax increases between 20 to 40 percent. They include Austin, Douglas (Bronzeville), Oakland (Bronzeville), Kenwood, Beverly, Chicago Lawn, South Chicago and East Side.
Residents in East Garfield Park, Riverdale, Washington Park and Woodlawn saw property tax increases between 40 to 60 percent.
Auburn Gresham and Washington Heights were the only two predominately Black community areas where property taxes decreased.
Pappas said unlike their counterparts on the North Side, homeowners on the South and West Sides are less likely to appeal their property tax bills.
The median residential tax bill in Chicago rose 16.7%, to $4,457 — the largest percentage city increase in at least 30 years. It also marks the third year in a row when a reassessed area of Cook County saw record median tax bill increases for homeowners, largely due to declining commercial values in the Loop downtown, which is traditionally Chicago’s economic engine.
Pappas said when one region in Chicago sees its property tax bill drop like the Loop, other property owners end up paying more to make up the difference.
Pappas, who for years hosted her show “Black Houses Matter,” on WVON 1690, said “When the Loop gets a cold, the rest of the city gets pneumonia. Homeowners across the city are paying the price. I’m particularly concerned how lower income homeowners in struggling communities are going to be able to pay their bills.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, property values in the Loop declined as office buildings became vacant and businesses closed. Three years after the pandemic ended, the Loop is bustling again but has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Pappas said the amount of taxes billed to the Loop’s commercial property owners dropped from more than $1.1 billion to $992.4 million.
For the 31st consecutive year, property taxes rose across Cook County after schools, local governments of municipalities, library districts, park districts and fire districts asked for more money from property owners.
Pappas said property taxes in Chicago grew overall by 6.3 percent because of increases in monies sought by local taxing districts, such as Chicago Public Schools; increased tax revenues earmarked for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts; and for many agencies that received additional levy increases under the state’s recapture law, which restores funds refunded to taxpayers after successful appeals.
Adding to the increase are rising home values on the South and West Side some 17 years after the Great Recession. Pappas said homes in these regions have “soared” in recent years.
In Chicago, homeowners will pay $469.4 million more than they did the year before, because of the tax burden shift.
Across Cook County, taxes rose by almost $871.8 million to nearly $19.2 billion, or 4.8%, well above the 3.5% inflation rate for 2024.
The yearly tax bill analysis is the latest addition to the Pappas Studies, a series of examinations of the complex property tax system available at cookcountytreasurer.com. Property owners who don’t want to wait for their bills to arrive in the mail can pay their taxes online now at cookcountytreasurer.com. Partial payments are accepted.
