Traditional Hispanic enclaves lose residents while city’s overall Hispanic population grows

Traditional Hispanic enclaves are losing longtime residents while the city’s overall Hispanic population continues to grow, according to newly released census estimates.

Logan Square, West Town, Pilsen, Albany Park and Avondale experienced the largest drop of Hispanic residents in the city between 2010 and 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

That loss is seen significantly in the once Hispanic-majority neighborhood of Logan Square. From 2010 to 2018 Logan Square’s Hispanic population fell from nearly 38,000 to just over 30,000 people — a loss of about 20%.

In contrast, the white population grew by nearly 7,000 people during that same period, from just over 28,000 in 2010 to more than 35,000 by 2018.

West Town, Pilsen, Albany Park and Avondale combined for a loss of nearly 20,000 Hispanic residents.

“These trends show us the way development happens in Chicago and how it tends to segregate us not only by race but also by opportunity,” said Christian Diaz of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association. “The most expensive places to live are near public transit and near public amenities like parks or bike lanes.”

Rob Paral, a demographic and public policy consultant, said the areas losing its Hispanic populations are well within what is considered the “zone of affluence.”

Neighborhoods like these attract more affluent, and often white, people because of their proximity to downtown and its accessibility to transit services, Paral said.

“Hispanics have essentially been getting priced out of the zone of affluence,” Paral said. “The pressure of housing cost is what is driving the displacement, and the story is they are now moving more Southwest and further Northwest.”

Overall the city’s Hispanic population has steadily grown for the better part of a decade. Between 2010 and 2018 the Chicago’s Hispanic population increased from 753,328 to 788,111.

Neighborhoods that experienced the largest growth of the number of Hispanics since 2010 was Belmont Cragin, Austin, Garfield Ridge and Chicago Lawn. These neighborhoods netted more than 22,000 Hispanic residents.

Paral said the reason for this is because Hispanics are able to find opportunities to own a home at an affordable price.

But Diaz says that comes at a cost.

“These are neighborhoods that often have poorly funded schools and lack access to any transportation,” Diaz said. “Who deserves to live in a safe, desirable and walkable neighborhoods? It’s white people and people with money.”

Manny Ramos is a corps member in Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of issues affecting Chicago’s South and West sides.