Identifying Disparities in the Chicagoland Tax Burden
Session Number
2
Advisor(s)
Professor Christopher R. Berry, The University of Chicago
Location
A133
Discipline
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Start Date
15-4-2026 11:10 AM
End Date
15-4-2026 11:55 AM
Abstract
The City of Chicago, and various overlapping agencies collect vast amounts of money in property taxes. However, the burden of these taxes, like so many others, is not distributed 42 equally. With some Chicago Wards paying more than 30 times as much in property taxes per year than others, study of the property tax distribution is in order. I prepared individualized reports for each ward detailing various statistics about their tax burden. I explore how it has changed over time, prepare summary statistics from the latest available data, and simulate counterfactuals on how these distributions and burdens change under different circumstances and policies. This will tie into the greater “Property Tax Explainer” project the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation at the University of Chicago is working on, to help illuminate the complexities of the property tax system to taxpayers who don’t understand why their bills rocket higher every year.
Identifying Disparities in the Chicagoland Tax Burden
A133
The City of Chicago, and various overlapping agencies collect vast amounts of money in property taxes. However, the burden of these taxes, like so many others, is not distributed 42 equally. With some Chicago Wards paying more than 30 times as much in property taxes per year than others, study of the property tax distribution is in order. I prepared individualized reports for each ward detailing various statistics about their tax burden. I explore how it has changed over time, prepare summary statistics from the latest available data, and simulate counterfactuals on how these distributions and burdens change under different circumstances and policies. This will tie into the greater “Property Tax Explainer” project the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation at the University of Chicago is working on, to help illuminate the complexities of the property tax system to taxpayers who don’t understand why their bills rocket higher every year.