Trends in Vacant Housing Units and Vacancy Rates, 2000-2010

Rising levels of housing vacancies in metropolitan Chicago suggest both challenges and opportunities, especially for the region’s local governments.  Vacant units may create the need for additional public services to maintain properties while simultaneously contributing less to the local property tax base.  However, vacant properties may also provide an opportunity to pursue infill and redevelopment projects to more appropriately match housing and transportation needs, provide access to jobs, and build on existing infrastructure.  GO TO 2040 identifies 75,000 acres of residential land within existing municipal boundaries that are considered vacant and/or “underutilized” and calls for redeveloping 20,000 acres of underutilized residential and commercial land by 2015.
 
On August 4, 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau released additional 2010 decennial census data for Illinois, providing more details than were available with the redistricting data released earlier this year.  The data show that the number of vacant units as well as overall vacancy rates grew region-wide by 22 percent relative to 2000, rising from 146,766 to 179,587 units. This vacant unit count includes rental and owner-occupied housing units and excludes seasonal, migrant, and other vacant units.  While vacant unit counts and vacancy rates are highest in Chicago and suburban Cook County, the total number of vacant units increased fastest in Kane and Kendall, two of the region’s most-rapidly growing counties.  Vacancy rates similarly increased in Kane and Kendall counties. Will County shows the only overall decrease in vacant units and vacancy rates. 
 

 

 
The City of Chicago contains a disproportionate share of the region’s vacant housing units, about 51 percent, compared to a 35 percent share of total housing units and 34 percent share of total population.  Suburban Cook County, however, contains a comparatively smaller share of total vacant units given its population, with 23 percent of total vacant units versus 29 percent of both total housing units and total population. Each other county's share of the region’s vacant units is equivalent to or smaller than its share of the region’s population.  The table below outlines each county’s share of total housing units, vacant housing units, and population.
 
Read more