West Loop · At a glance

West Loop at a glance.

A demographic snapshot drawn from public data: US Census ACS 5-year estimates (most recent release: 2023) and the City of Chicago Data Portal. "West Loop" is not a Census-designated area, so the primary basis here is the Near West Side community area — Chicago's official neighborhood boundary that contains the West Loop along with parts of Greektown, Little Italy, and Tri-Taylor. ZIP-level numbers for 60607, 60661, and 60606 follow as a more-local secondary view.

Population

The Near West Side community area had a population of 65,370 in the 2023 ACS 5-year estimates. Within the West Loop's three overlapping ZIP codes: 60607 covers 30,197 residents (the largest); 60661 covers 11,516; and 60606 covers 3,527 (the smallest, a sliver of the Loop's western edge). The three ZIPs together count 45,240 people, slightly less than the Near West Side total because each ZIP extends beyond the community area on at least one edge.

Age

The Near West Side skews young-adult: roughly 29,727 residents are aged 18–34 (45.5% of the population). Children under 18 number 9,063 (13.9%); seniors 65 and over number 4,311 (6.6%). Median age in 60607 — the ZIP that contains the bulk of the West Loop's residential core — is 31.0.

Households and housing

There are 11,948 households in the Near West Side. Across the three West Loop ZIPs together, the ACS counts 27,621 housing units, of which 2,472 are vacant. Median gross rent ranges from $2,281 in 60607 to $2,386 in 60606. Median home value ranges from $366,500 in 60606 to $494,300 in 60607. The market is overwhelmingly rental: across all three ZIPs, 63.4% of occupied units are renter-occupied.

Income

Household income in the Near West Side is heavily right-skewed. 6,517 households (54.5% of the community area) report income of $125,000 or more — the largest single bracket. 2,992 households (25.0%) report under $50,000. Median household income for the West Loop ZIPs runs $126,307 in 60607, $138,831 in 60661, and $139,148 in 60606.

Education

Educational attainment in the three West Loop ZIPs is unusually high. Among residents 25 and older, 84.1% hold at least a bachelor's degree, and 42.1% hold an advanced degree (master's, professional, or doctorate). The figure for 60661 — the Fulton Market core — is the highest of the three ZIPs at 88.5% bachelor's-or-above.

Race and ethnicity

Race composition of the Near West Side community area (65,370 total residents reporting): 30,838 (47.2%) reported as White; 16,099 (24.6%) as Black or African American; 11,600 (17.7%) as Asian; 4,304 (6.6%) as multiracial. Hispanic or Latino residents (an ethnicity category, reported separately from race in Census methodology) number 6,779 (10.4% of the community area).

Commute and work-from-home

Across the three West Loop ZIPs, of 31,896 workers age 16 and older, 29.8% report working from home — well above the national average of around 16% in the same ACS release. Public transit is the second-largest category at 13.3%; drove-alone commutes account for 23.0%. The work-from-home share is highest in 60661 at 37.7% — the Fulton Market ZIP. This is the data signature of a residential core that overlaps with the city's most concentrated tech/office district.

By ZIP code

Side-by-side comparison of the three West Loop ZIPs.