Property taxes are at the top of the list of expenses that residents across the greater Chicago area would most like to see reduced.
That is according to a recent NBC 5 Responds survey of more than 1,200 people. Although the poll was not scientific and did not use a representative sample, the responses highlight growing concerns about the cost of living. Nearly 27% of respondents said they had considered moving out of their neighborhoods over the past year because of housing costs.
A Tax Bill That More Than Doubled in One Year
Randy Temple purchased a two-flat home in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood in 1992 for approximately $100,000. Thirty years later, a fire destroyed the property and most of his belongings, including a vinyl record collection he had spent 65 years building. He decided to rebuild the house on the same property.
Following reconstruction, Cook County reassessed the property’s value at $1.67 million. His property tax bill jumped from $13,022 in 2024 to $27,411 in 2025.
“At this tax rate, I can probably stay another two, maybe three years,” Temple told NBC 5 Responds.
According to county records, Temple has paid his property taxes in full and has no outstanding balance. Nevertheless, he estimates that paying the entire bill consumes 40% of his income.
He lives on Social Security benefits and a pension earned during his employment at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, now known as Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.
Temple appealed the new assessment, but the county rejected his challenge. The Cook County Assessor’s Office confirmed the decision, explaining that rebuilding the property had substantially increased its assessed value.
Property Tax Increases of 60% to 120%
Winifred Curran, a geography professor at DePaul University, has spent more than two decades studying property taxes in Chicago. Her assessment of the situation is blunt: “People are being actively pushed out of their homes.”
“Every three years, depending on the neighborhood, we see increases that can be 60%, 90%, 120%,” Curran said.
She points to declining commercial property values as one of the contributing factors. Property taxes, she explained, are one of the primary ways local government finances its operations.
“There aren’t a lot of other ways to make up that money if we start reducing property taxes,” she said.
Older residents are among those most severely affected, according to Curran.
“They have limited incomes. They don’t have the resources to simply pack up and move. What we’re seeing is that displacement of older homeowners can literally be deadly. It has a very negative impact on health,” she said.
How to Appeal a Property Tax Assessment
Homeowners who believe their property has been overvalued can challenge their assessments through the Cook County Assessor’s Office or the Cook County Board of Review.
Several property tax exemptions are also available, including those for homeowners, senior citizens, veterans and people with disabilities.
Temple plans to apply for the Senior Citizens Exemption, but he doubts it will provide enough financial relief to allow him to remain in his home.
He says he has “no idea” where he would go and finds the thought of leaving his longtime neighbors particularly difficult.
“If I go somewhere else, a single man, approaching 80, who’s going to look after my things?” Temple asked.
Renters Are Feeling the Pressure Too
Rising housing costs are not affecting homeowners alone. Renters are also facing increasing financial pressure.
According to newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, rents in the Chicago metropolitan area are 4.5% higher than they were a year ago.
In some cases, landlords pass higher property tax expenses on to tenants through increased rents, adding to the financial burden on households already struggling with the rising cost of living.
