2025 Financial Health Pulse® Chicago Trends Report Reveals Cook County Residents See Modest Gains in Financial Health, but Stark Regional Gaps Persist

The new report underscores geographic and demographic differences in financial well-being in the Chicago region.

CHICAGO, IL (January 22) - The Financial Health Pulse® 2025 Chicago Trends Report finds small but meaningful improvements in Cook County residents' financial well-being since 2022. Conducted by the Financial Health Network, the nation's authority on financial health, in partnership with The Chicago Community Trust, the report highlights positive advances, even as stark disparities persist along demographic and geographic lines, shaping the region's economic landscape.

The study uses survey responses from May through July 2025 and combines them with aggregate credit bureau data from TransUnion. It provides the first neighborhood-level insights into household debt and credit, and offers a three-year perspective on financial health and well-being in Chicago and Cook County.

Building on the 2022 survey, the report evaluates eight key metrics that assess one's ability to spend, save, borrow, and plan. Responses are converted into a score and classified as Financially Healthy, Coping, or Vulnerable. Financially Healthy individuals usually spend less than they earn and maintain liquid savings for emergencies. In contrast, those who are Financially Vulnerable often struggle to cover basic expenses, lack emergency savings, and carry high levels of debt.

"This report updates a critical baseline from 2022, helping us track where and how change is and isn't occurring," said Taylor C. Nelms, Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Insights, Financial Health Network. "Financial health is not just about income. It's about whether people can pay their bills, save, manage debt, and plan for the future, and this research shows that these aspects of people's financial lives look very different depending on your zip code, your identity, and the access you have to resources and opportunities."

The report highlights progress, especially in the city and among historically vulnerable groups, while emphasizing where financial challenges are most concentrated. By identifying community-specific strengths and vulnerabilities, this level of detail can help residents, policymakers, philanthropic funders, the business community, and nonprofit leaders design interventions that are better aligned with local needs and more likely to produce equitable outcomes.

Key Findings from the 2025 Report:

• Regional Inequality Despite Relative Strength: Compared to national figures, Cook County has a higher percentage of Financially Healthy households (34% vs. 31%) and a greater share of Financially Vulnerable residents (18% vs. 15%).
• There Are Signs of Progress for Vulnerable Groups: The share of Financially Vulnerable households in Cook County decreased from 19% in 2022 to 18% in 2025, including notable improvements among Black (39% to 33%) and Latino residents (30% to 26%). This progress was reflected in fewer households with less than a week of savings to cover expenses, fewer households with no confidence in reaching their long-term financial goals, and fewer households with no confidence in their insurance coverage (including those with no coverage at all).
• Gaps Across Communities Remain Stark: Analysis of Chicago's 77 community areas, grouped into seven regions, shows that nearly 1 in 3 residents on the South (33%) and West sides (35%) are Financially Vulnerable, compared to just 11% on the North Side. Similar disparities also exist in suburban Cook County, where 8% of residents in the North suburbs are Financially Vulnerable, while in the South suburbs, the percentage is three times higher at 25%. These divides reflect differences in income, education, housing access, and debt burden across the Chicago area.
• Credit and Savings Paradox: More Cook County residents reported having savings to cover one week's expenses. There is also a steady increase in prime credit scores. However, the share of borrowers who were 30 days or more behind on debt obligations increased from 26% to 29% over the three-year period. Mortgage delinquency also rose. These findings suggest that respondents' ability to manage debt declined in 2025 and highlight the instability of the progress made.
• More Education is Associated with Greater Financial Health, but the Boost is Not Evenly Distributed: Even among those with similar educational attainment, racial inequities persist: 54% of white college graduates were Financially Healthy, compared to 44% of Asian graduates, 31% of Latino graduates, and 24% of Black graduates.
• Wealth Gaps Persist: Black and Latino residents are twice as likely to report negative net worth as white households (23%, 21%, 10%). Differences in asset ownership drive the wealth gap.

"It's encouraging to see progress in financial well-being in the Chicago region, even if that progress is fragile and uneven. Still, too often, where a person lives shapes their financial future, reflecting decades of unequal opportunity and limited access to capital," said Andrea Sáenz, president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust. "To build on these modest gains, we'll continue investing in neighborhood-level solutions, protecting critical supports, and using data to guide our work, so financial security can be enjoyed broadly across our communities."

"Financial health is the foundation on which strong communities are built. As one of the nation's leading financial institutions, we're committed to supporting the financial well-being of our customers and communities," said Joanna Trotter, Executive Director and Senior Program Officer for Global Philanthropy, JPMorganChase. "The insights provided in the 2025 Financial Health Pulse Chicago Trends Report will empower us and others to better tailor our products, services and resources to meet the unique needs of Chicago-area residents at every stage of their financial journey, enabling more people to manage their day-to-day financial lives and build long-term wealth."

Methodology and Partners

The Financial Health Network collaborated with NORC at the University of Chicago to collect and analyze survey data and partnered with TransUnion to incorporate aggregate credit bureau data. This mixed-methods approach provides a robust, multidimensional view of financial health.

"This report also highlights the value of applying credit bureau data in a geographically granular way for a city like Chicago, which provides a more precise view of how credit usage, debt burdens, and repayment behaviors differ across communities," said Greg Schlichter, Director of Research and Consulting, TransUnion. "These insights help illuminate patterns that citywide averages alone cannot capture."

The report was made possible by support from The Chicago Community Trust and JPMorganChase, whose investments in place-based research strengthen understanding of household financial stability.

To access the full report and explore neighborhood maps, visit: https://finhealthnetwork.org/research/financial-health-pulse-2025-chicago-trends-report

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Contact for Financial Health Network:
Stephanie Hicks
Cosmo PR
[email protected]

Contact for The Chicago Community Trust:
Nina Alcacio
The Chicago Community Trust
[email protected]