Treasurer's Office Newsletter: Chicagoans Hit with 2025 Property Tax Bills Struggle to Pay

Treasurer's Office Newsletter: Chicagoans Hit with 2025 Property Tax Bills Struggle to Pay


Chicago homeowners in lower-income community areas on the South and West sides who were hit with dramatic property tax increases on their second-installment bills mailed in 2025 were struggling to pay the full amount owed, according to the latest edition of a Cook County Treasurer’s Office newsletter.


The largest drop in the percentage of billed residential taxes occurred in the Riverdale Community Area, on the city’s far South Side, and in West Garfield Park, on the city’s West Side. In Riverdale, where total homeowner taxes increased by 65%, collections were down 11.1%, and in West Garfield Park, where the amount billed to homeowners more than doubled, collections were down 4.1%.


Those two community areas were among more than a dozen South and West side communities where collection rates declined — and homeowners making partial payments rose significantly, showing that people were trying, but struggling, to pay their bills in full.


Despite those declines, overall collections — measured 47 days after tax year 2024 tax bills were due on Dec. 15, 2025 — in both the city and county stood at 96.4%, a level in line with historical averages.


Nevertheless, several south suburban cities and villages still had perilously low collection rates, despite improvements in residential, commercial and industrial property collection rates. Collection rates in the north and northwest suburban area remained strong

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