Cook County leaders announced the second installment of property tax bills will be mailed by Nov. 14 with a Dec. 15 due date.

Chicago homeowners on the South and West Sides are bracing for huge property tax hikes, driven by surging assessments and government spending tied to pensions.

Chicago’s high commercial property taxes hurt both businesses and homeowners. The result is less business, fewer jobs and growing inequality across communities.

Illinois just ranked as having the highest property tax rate in the country. Property taxes in Illinois are an especially heavy burden without the tradeoff seen in states such as Texas or New Hampshire, where there are either no sales taxes or income taxes.

Illinois is No. 1 in the nation for property taxes, an uncomfortable reality for Rantoul homeowner Yohna Hornbuckle. His property taxes are up 50% in six years and threaten his ability to stay.

With the Illinois state legislative session ended, bills will start crossing the governor’s desk, some containing tax hikes, unaffordable spending and needless regulation. Here’s how Gov. J.B. Pritzker can stop these bad policies from becoming law.

The median Chicago residence paid $2,059 in property taxes just to support Chicago Public Schools in 2024, 62% more than they paid 15 years ago. More than half of a Chicago homeowners’ property tax bill now goes to CPS.