Puerto Ricans Second Biggest Hispanic Group in Chicago Heights: Census 2010

Chicago Heights has been called a smaller version of the city of Chicago by some residents.

That partly refers to the race breakdown of the city. The 2010 Census data validates that point, revealing how large the Hispanic or Latino population in the city has become. Much like Chicago, the Heights is broken largely into thirds.

These numbers have been released by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2010 Census for several states, including Illinois. These uber-detailed counts show information on age, sex, households, families, race and more. The bureau released data about these basic categories before, but now the information is so detailed we can isolate a block within a city.

Every week, we'll take a bit of information from the Census data to examine the populations of Chicago Heights, Olympia Fields and South Chicago Heights. Here are a few facts that relate to the Heights:

• Total Population of Chicago Heights - 30,276
• Latino or Hispanic population (of any race) -  10,254 (33.9 percent)
• Mexican - 9,438 (31.2 percent)
• Puerto Rican – 281
• Defined as Spaniard, Spanish or Spanish-American - 84
• South American – 64
• Central American (but non-Mexican) - 68

To find more information from the U.S. Census Bureau, go to the American FactFinder website.