The Color of Debt
The Black Neighborhoods Where Collection Suits Hit Hardest
All but three of Chicago’s neighborhoods were predominantly white in 1940. After World War II, middle-class whites began migrating to the suburbs, an exodus only intensified by the Chicago riots in 1968. Today, Chicago is a highly segregated city—not only by race, but also by debt. Here are five of the neighborhoods hardest hit by debt collection lawsuits. Note: Data includes suits filed between 2008-2012. | Related story »
LeClaire Courts
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $36,481 | 13.2 | 86.6% |
A small community near Chicago’s Midway Airport, LeClaire Courts has the second highest rate of judgments in Cook County. The area is named after a recently demolished housing development that, when it was created in 1950, was one of Chicago’s first attempts at racially-integrated public housing.
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Chatham
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $39,306 | 13.3 | 98.1% |
Located on Chicago’s southeast side, Chatham was once solidly middle-class, drawing blacks to the area in the 1950’s and 1960’s with the promise of well-kept homes and good schools. Today, the community struggles economically, and it had the highest rate of judgments in Cook County.
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South Holland
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $56,996 | 13.0 | 89.3% |
Since 1990, the population of South Holland, a small city just outside Chicago, has shifted from nearly 90 percent white to 75 percent black in 2010. After debt buyers, major banks sued residents most frequently — around 20 percent of judgments came from Capital One alone.
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Dolton
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $38,189 | 12.3 | 88.7% |
Auto lenders won more judgments against residents of the suburban community of Dolton than any other neighborhood in Cook County. But like other hard-hit areas in the county, most judgments were due to suits brought by debt buyers or major banks.
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Matteson
| Median Household Income | Judgments Per 100 Residents | Black Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| $76,055 | 12.2 | 90.1% |
Major banks and debt buyers won 700 judgments against residents of Matteson, the most of of any area in Cook County. Located on the southern edge of the county, Matteson controversially confronted its changing racial demographic in the 1990s with an advertising campaign to draw new white residents to the community.
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The map displays census tract level data.
Note: One census tract (Chicago Loop) is not included in the map. A commercial area, its high judgment rate is driven by a large number of suits filed against businesses that are incorporated at addresses in this tract.
Amanda Zamora and Alison Benjamin contributed production and development
Sources: State court records, U.S. Census, ProPublica analysis, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, City of Chicago, New Jersey Geographic Information Network.