< back to the Housing Market Indicators Data Portal

Washington Heights

Washington Heights, one of the 77 official community areas, is located on the far south side of the city of Chicago, Illinois. (Source: Wikipedia)

Housing stock map

See the share of the area's total housing units that are in single family homes, condominiums, two-to-four unit buildings, buildings with five to 49 units, and buildings with 50 units or more.


The Composition of Cook County’s Housing Market >

Housing market indicators

All of these property level data sets are connected to parcel-level data files from the county Assessors offices that include data on every parcel in the Chicago metropolitan area. All of these parcel-level data sets include historical data and are updated on a regular basis ranging from every week to every year depending on the data set.

Housing Stock Composition

The composition of a neighborhood’s housing stock determines the appropriate targeted strategies for stabilizing local housing markets. Learn more about this data set.

"

Housing Units by Property Type


Property Type 2021
Single Family 72.3%
Condominium 0.1%
Building with 2-4 Units 12.1%
Building with 5+ Units 15.5%


Property Sales Activity

This indicator provides information on how active local residential property markets are, what types of properties are being purchased, who is buying them, and how much buyers are paying for properties.

Total Sales Activity

This is the total number of property sales in a given year. In Cook County, data are broken out separately for total sales activity on single family homes, condominium units, two-to-four unit buildings, and in buildings with five or more units. Outside of Cook County, data are for all residential parcels.


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 502 515 371 243 273 265 241 251 306 299 321 388 467 479 496 379 414
Single Family 459 475 343 228 250 249 222 226 287 277 294 358 433 458 461 350 385
Condominium 1 -- 2 3 2 4 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 2 -- --
Building with 2-4 Units 34 35 20 10 17 10 15 21 15 15 22 23 29 13 26 24 20
Building with 5+ Units 8 5 6 2 4 2 4 4 4 7 5 7 5 7 7 5 9


Sales per 100 Residential Parcels

This indicator allows users to compare the level of property sales activity across geographies. This data point represents the total number of sales on all residential parcels divided by the total number of residential parcels in a given year, multiplied by 100.


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 5.9 6.1 4.4 2.9 3.2 3.1 2.8 3.0 3.6 3.5 3.8 4.6 5.5 5.7 5.8 4.5 4.9


Share of Sales, Business Buyers

This represents a range of investor types from small mom-and-pop investors to large Wall Street-traded equity funds. Heightened levels of single family homes purchased by business buyers is often indicative of a distressed and low priced inventory of homes, and low demand for owner-occupied housing in a neighborhood. In Cook County, this data point is available as the share of total sales activity where the buyer was a business entity by property type (single family homes, condominium units, two-to-four unit buildings, and in buildings with five or more units). Outside of Cook County, data are for all residential parcels.


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 13.9% 11.7% 13.2% 28.4% 40.3% 41.9% 31.5% 42.6% 44.1% 37.8% 38.3% 39.7% 37.7% 43.0% 39.1% 27.2% 32.4%
Single Family 13.1% 11.6% 12.0% 28.1% 40.0% 41.8% 30.6% 41.6% 44.6% 35.4% 37.8% 39.1% 37.9% 41.9% 38.4% 27.1% 31.2%
Condominium 100.0% -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Building with 2-4 Units 11.8% 8.6% 20.0% 30.0% 41.2% 50.0% 33.3% 47.6% 20.0% 60.0% 36.4% 34.8% 31.0% 53.8% 38.5% 16.7% 25.0%
Building with 5+ Units 62.5% 40.0% 66.7% 100.0% 75.0% 100.0% 75.0% 75.0% 100.0% 85.7% 80.0% 85.7% 60.0% 100.0% 100.0% 80.0% 100.0%


Share of Sales, Extremely Low Value

This represents the percent of sales that were purchased for less than $20,000 in a given year. In Cook County, this data point is available as the share of total sales activity that sold for less than $20,000 by property type (single family homes, condominium units, two-to-four unit buildings, and in buildings with five or more units). Outside of Cook County, data are for all residential parcels.


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 0.6% 0.8% 0.3% 5.3% 8.4% 11.3% 8.3% 8.4% 7.8% 7.4% 7.2% 6.2% 7.1% 4.4% 2.0% 0.3% 1.0%
Single Family 0.7% 0.8% 0.3% 5.3% 8.8% 12.0% 7.7% 8.8% 8.0% 6.9% 7.5% 6.7% 7.2% 4.6% 1.5% 0.3% 1.0%
Building with 2-4 Units -- -- -- 10.0% 5.9% -- 20.0% 4.8% 6.7% 20.0% 4.5% -- 6.9% -- 11.5% -- --


Mortgage Activity

These data measure the flow of mortgage credit into an area and indicates the level of lender investment. The level of mortgage activity in a neighborhood relative to other areas can assess how access to credit has changed over time in a community and how the flow of credit differs across geographies and for different property types.

Total Mortgage Activity

This is the total number of mortgages in a given year. In Cook County, data are broken out separately for total mortgage activity on single family homes, condominium units, two-to-four unit buildings, and in buildings with five or more units. Outside of Cook County, data are for all residential parcels.


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 2,077 1,997 1,675 987 644 461 397 434 548 457 464 503 556 543 650 622 960
Single Family 1,950 1,864 1,571 930 616 434 370 406 510 416 429 463 516 495 596 581 902
Condominium -- -- 3 6 2 5 1 1 1 1 -- -- -- 1 2 1 1
Building with 2-4 Units 116 118 77 37 21 15 19 24 28 28 31 32 33 32 41 34 46
Building with 5+ Units 11 15 24 14 5 7 7 3 9 12 4 8 7 15 11 6 11


Mortgages per 100 Residential Parcels

Mortgages  per 100 Residential Parcel


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 24.5 23.5 19.7 11.6 7.6 5.4 4.7 5.1 6.5 5.4 5.5 5.9 6.6 6.4 7.7 7.3 11.3


Foreclosure Filing Activity

This is an indicator of distress in a local housing market and viewing changing levels of activity allows for an understanding of the evolving nature of the foreclosure crisis in a neighborhood.

Total Foreclosure Filings Activity

This is the total number of new foreclosure filings in a given year. In Cook County, data are broken out separately for foreclosure filing activity on single family homes, condominium units, two-to-four unit buildings, and in buildings with five or more units. Outside of Cook County, data are for all residential parcels.


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 264 304 364 341 293 316 291 330 239 188 187 197 209 185 183 53 50
Single Family 246 287 337 312 270 289 272 302 227 175 171 187 199 180 169 51 49
Condominium -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Building with 2-4 Units 15 17 24 25 20 24 16 23 10 9 13 6 10 5 12 -- 1
Building with 5+ Units 3 -- 3 4 3 2 3 3 2 4 3 4 -- -- 2 2 --


Foreclosure Filings per 100 Residential Parcels

This indicator allows users to compare the level of foreclosure filing activity across geographies. This data point represents the total number of foreclosure filings on all residential parcels divided by the total number of residential parcels in a given year, multiplied by 100.


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 3.1 3.6 4.3 4.0 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.9 2.8 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.2 0.6 0.6


Cumulative Foreclosure Filings Activity



Property Type 2021
All Residential Properties 32.8%


Foreclosure Auctions

These are properties that have completed the foreclosure process. Understanding foreclosure auction activity helps determine the flow of year-over-year of REO (real estate owned) properties into a market, how third-party demand at auctions differs based on property types, and the density of REO activity across geographies. The level of completed foreclosure auctions activity in a neighborhood indicates distress in a local housing market.

Total Auction Activity

This is the total number of completed foreclosure auctions in a given year. In Cook County, data are broken out separately for total auction activity on single family homes, condominium units, two-to-four unit buildings, and in buildings with five or more units. Outside of Cook County, data are for all residential parcels.


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 65 72 120 161 128 115 77 132 153 169 124 134 122 127 91 25 26
Single Family 60 70 111 149 121 103 72 123 144 161 110 125 117 124 86 25 23
Condominium -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Building with 2-4 Units 5 2 9 10 7 8 3 9 5 6 12 7 5 3 5 -- 3
Building with 5+ Units -- -- -- 2 -- 4 2 -- 4 1 2 2 -- -- -- -- --


Share of Auctions Resulting in REO

This is the percent of completed foreclosure auctions in a given geography where there were no bidders and the property became bank-owned REO (real estate owned).


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 66.2% 81.9% 95.8% 98.1% 98.4% 95.7% 96.1% 90.9% 90.2% 83.4% 81.5% 81.3% 79.5% 65.4% 84.6% 72.0% 61.5%
Single Family 68.3% 81.4% 96.4% 98.7% 99.2% 95.1% 95.8% 91.9% 89.6% 83.9% 80.0% 80.8% 79.5% 64.5% 84.9% 72.0% 60.9%
Condominium -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 100.0% -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Building with 2-4 Units 40.0% 100.0% 88.9% 90.0% 85.7% 100.0% 100.0% 77.8% 100.0% 66.7% 91.7% 85.7% 80.0% 100.0% 80.0% -- 66.7%
Building with 5+ Units -- -- -- 100.0% -- 100.0% 100.0% -- 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% -- -- -- -- --


REO per 100 Residential Parcels


Property Type 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All Residential Properties 0.5 0.7 1.4 1.9 1.5 1.3 0.9 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.2 0.2


Population and Age

Population and Age


Indicator Value
Total Population 26,742


Population and Age


Indicator Value
Share of Population Aged 18 to 44 33.5%
Share of Population Aged 45 to 64 27.3%
Share of Population Aged over 65 18.2%
Share of Population Aged under 18 21.0%


Race and Ethnicity

Race and Ethnicity


Indicator Value
Share of Population that is African American 96.1%
Share of Population that is Asian 0.2%
Share of Population that is Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
Share of Population that is Some Other Race 1.3%
Share of Population that is White 1.3%


Household Income

Household Income


Indicator Value
Share of Households with Income $100,000 or More 20.3%
Share of Households with Income $25,000 to $50,000 19.2%
Share of Households with Income $50,000 to $100,000 31.1%
Share of Households with Income Less than $25,000 29.4%


Household Income


Indicator Value
Total Households 9,287


Poverty Rate

Share of Population that is under the Poverty Level


Indicator Value
Share of Population that is under the Poverty Level 21.5%


Resident Tenure

Total Households


Indicator Value
Total Households 9,287


Share of Households that are Owner-Occupied


Indicator Value
Share of Households that are Owner-Occupied 67.7%


Share of Households that are Renter-Occupied


Indicator Value
Share of Households that are Renter-Occupied 32.3%


Cost Burdened Households

Share of Owner-Occupied Households that are Cost-Burdened


Indicator Value
Share of Owner-Occupied Households that are Cost-Burdened 31.0%


Share of Renter-Occupied Households that are Cost-Burdened


Indicator Value
Share of Renter-Occupied Households that are Cost-Burdened 64.3%


Share of All Households that are Cost-Burdened


Indicator Value
Share of All Households that are Cost-Burdened 41.0%