Culture
Cultural identity of an area is often the product of the population’s Ethnicity, Ancestry, Language, and Religious Beliefs. This report will cover these areas for the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market.
Ethnicity
Racial groups in the US often include White, Black, Asian, and Other. In a similar context whether or not a person is of Hispanic origin is also typically a defining characteristic of ethnic identity. The following reports look at 5 ethnic categories, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic: White, Black, Asian, and Other.
Largest Ethnicity - White
The White Ethnicity makes up the largest share of the Population in the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market at 50.6%. This is yields a location quotient of 0.86 time the national average. Subsequently the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market ranks 135th in the proportion of White Population across STI Markets.

Figure 11: Ethnicity Proportion in Market
Notable Ethnicity - Black
The proportion of Black Population in the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market is notable. This ethnicity comprises 16.1% of the market’s population, yielding a location quotient of 1.34 time the national average. Subsequently the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market ranks 38th in the proportion of Black Population across STI Markets.
Ancestry
Ancestral origin across the US is quite varied with small communities existing from most parts of the world. Many of the smaller Ancestry groups are combined to “other” categories from the predominate larger ancestral region. Unclassified amount is also high among those that don’t know or give their ancestry or give a response that is uncommon. These categories will be excluded from the following reports and include the Other Hispanic, Other Asian, Other European, Other, and Unclassified Ancestries.
Largest Ancestries - Mexican, German, and Scotch Irish
Large ancestries in the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market include Mexican, German, and Scotch Irish . These ancestries make up 17.8%, 7.3%, and 6.1% of the total population, respectively. When comparing to national proportions, the Mexican ancestry is the most notable with a location quotient of 1.6 the proportion of this ancestry ranks 30th across STI Markets.
Sub-Market Ancestry Dispersion
Looking at those 3 Ancestries, which are most prevalent across the market.

Figure 13: Ancestry Thematic
Other Notable Ancestries - Polish, South Central Asian, and Korean
The Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market is also home to a larger than average share of people with Polish, South Central Asian, and Korean Ancestries. These ancestries account for 4.7%, 2.8%, and 0.7% of the population, respectively. With location quotient of 3.13, 1.75, and 1.4 the Polish, South Central Asian, and Korean Ancestries rank 9th, 11th, and 16th across STI Markets, respectively.
Language
English is the predominate language across the US. There are however a number of other languages spoken depending on the market. Languages considered in this report include the Spanish, French, German, Slavic, Other Indo Euro, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Other Asian, Tagalog, Arabic, and Other languages. The following is a look at the degree and dispersion of Non-English languages and language groups spoken in the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN market.
Non-English Languages - Spanish, German, and Slavic
The most widely spoken Non-English Languages in the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market include Spanish, German, and Slavic . These languages make up 17.5%, 7.3%, and 3.3% of the over 5 population, respectively. When comparing to national proportions, the Slavic language is the most notable with a location quotient of 1.06 the proportion of this language ranks 1st across STI Markets.
Religion
40% of the population in the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market is of unknown religious affiliation. This category is generally made up of those that are not religiously affiliated, though a small fraction may represent dharmic religions. This level of unknown religious affiliation ranks 106th across STI Markets. The following looks at the remaining 60% of the population that are affiliated.
It should also be noted that nationally approximately half of the religiously affiliated population would be considered Christian Protestant. This classification however encompasses many denominations with various beliefs and practices. We have subsequently grouped these church congregations by denomination and by a classification of Mainline and Evangelical disposition. You will see these groups described with ML and E respectively where a breakout by denomination is given and in other cases they are listed in total as simply Mainline or Evangelical.
Laregest Religions - Catholic, Mainline, and Evangelical
The 3 largest main religions in the Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market are Catholic, Mainline, and Evangelical . These religions make up 59.8%, 13.8%, and 10.4% of the affiliated population, respectively. When comparing to national proportions, the Catholic religion is the most notable with a location quotient of 1.55 the proportion of this religion ranks 21st across STI Markets.

Figure 15: Religous Proportion in the Market
Sub-Market Religious Dispersion
In the following map we look at those 3 largest religions and then group the remaining into a “Other” category.

Figure 16: Religous Thematic
Other Notable Religions - Muslim, Orthodox, and Black Protestant
The Chicago-Kankakee, IL-Gary, IN Market is also home to a larger than average share of Muslim, Orthodox, and Black Protestant religiously affiliated Population. These religious groups account for 6.5%, 3%, and 2.4% of the religiously affiliated Population, respectively. With location quotient of 3.25, 2.73, and 1.5 the Muslim, Orthodox, and Black Protestant religions rank 1st, 5th, and 29th across STI Markets, respectively.