Chicago’s average life expectancy is rebounding, now nearly matching pre-pandemic levels at 78.7 years. New city data show the gap in how long Black Chicagoans live compared to other races has shrunk, but at about 11 years, it remains wide. As of 2021, the disparity stood at nearly 13 years, with the pandemic hitting Black and Latino communities especially hard. Recent gains are credited to “fewer people dying of COVID-19 and homicides, and more people surviving cancer as screening has improved.” Black residents, particularly those under 40, have seen notable declines in COVID-19 deaths.
Latino Chicagoans’ life expectancy jumped by 4.5 years on average since 2020, the city’s numbers reveal. Yet public officials warn that the biggest reasons people die younger—including homicide, heart disease, opioid overdoses, and cancer—persist, especially in areas already struggling. Federal cuts to health insurance and food aid could soon threaten the gains, cautioned Dr. Simbo Ige, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health. Despite small year-on-year improvements, “we are very far from where we want to be,” Dr. Ige admitted.
Neighborhood divides remain stark: in the Loop, a person can expect to live to 87, but in West Garfield Park, life expectancy dips to nearer 67. Researchers remind residents that, compared with the national five-year Black-white gap, Chicago’s ten-year gulf is still “vastly unequal depending on where you live and what you look like.” City leaders remain intent on tackling the root causes, partnering with universities and community groups to close the gap.
See: “Good news for Chicagoans: Life expectancy is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels” (September 10, 2025)
