7 county region

The 7 county region around metropolitan Chicago is the focus of the PCC's regional efforts. Priority communities shown on this map are communities for which the PCC focuses much of its examination of college-going patterns and outcomes. These communities were chosen for the percentage of their public school population that receives free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of family income, which in most of these communities is at least 50%. Use this map to explore the population in these 7 counties and 16 communities.

Data Sources

1. 2015 American Community Survey Data, U.S. Census (2015 data)   https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtml?refresh=t
Population size, population racial/ethnic composition, population size 18-24, percent of individuals living below poverty line, median family income
2. Advance IL (2015 data)   http://www.advanceillinois.org/2025/
Attainment rate (total population adults 25+), attainment rate by race/ethnicity (adults 25+ that have at least a bachelor's degree)
3. College Navigator | National Center for Education Statistics (2015 data)   https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
Number of colleges in each county
4. IL Report Card   https://www.illinoisreportcard.com
Number of high schools in each county

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