One Year Out, Tax Year 2023 Collections Have Rebounded, but Tens of Thousands Still Struggling to Pay

October 2025

Overview

Cook County’s property tax collection rate for tax year 2023, billed in 2024, has rebounded to historic levels, wiping out a significant collection shortfall that existed soon after payments were due.

The collection rate one year after the due date stood at 97.6% — 2.5 percentage points higher than it was one month after bills were due[1] and in line with historic trends over the previous five years. (Figure 1)

Figure 1: Property Tax Collection Rates for Tax Year 2023 One Year After Taxes Were Due
Tax Year	Taxes Billed	Taxes Collected	Collection Rate
2023	$18.32 Billion	$17.87 Billion	97.55%
2022	$17.63 Billion	$17.22 Billion	97.69%
2021	$16.73 Billion	$16.4 Billion	98.04%
2020	$16.12 Billion	$15.72 Billion	97.47%
2019	$15.58 Billion	$15.16 Billion	97.31%
2018	$14.97 Billion	$14.61 Billion	97.59%

But a troubling trend continued: many low-income south suburban communities still had perilously low collection rates. In 10 south suburbs, taxing agencies collected less than 85% of their taxes.[2] (Figure 2)

Figure 2: Municipalities with Lowest Tax Year 2023 Collection Rates One Year After Taxes Were Due
Municipality	Taxable Properties	Taxes Billed	Taxes Collected	Collection Rate
Ford Heights	1,590	$4.4 Million	$1.72 Million	39.08%
Robbins	3,994	$8.04 Million	$4.62 Million	57.44%
Harvey	12,904	$57.9 Million	$33.75 Million	58.29%
Phoenix	1,309	$3.93 Million	$2.64 Million	67.14%
Riverdale	4,525	$30.05 Million	$21.87 Million	72.78%
Dixmoor	1,781	$7.6 Million	$6.06 Million	79.82%
Dolton	8,977	$59.72 Million	$49.8 Million	83.38%
Calumet Park	2,965	$17.46 Million	$14.64 Million	83.86%
Chicago Heights	11,753	$84.67 Million	$71.71 Million	84.70%
Calumet City	13,401	$98.37 Million	$83.58 Million	84.96%

About 65,000 Cook County properties were delinquent in their 2023 taxes as of Sept. 16, 2025, but property owners have more time than usual to pay up before the annual tax sale, at which taxes are sold to investors and others in exchange for a lien that can ultimately lead to the loss of a home or business.

The tax sale for unpaid 2023 taxes has been postponed to March 2026 to give the state more time to overhaul its tax sale process,[3] which has been challenged in court as unconstitutional. During the delay, no additional interest will accrue on the delinquent 2023 taxes.

The Rebound

One year after tax year 2023 bills were due, Cook County had collected $17.9 billion of the $18.3 billion in taxes billed, with property owners gradually making $444.8 million in late payments during the last 11 months of that one-year period.

The unusual level of late payments — about 56% higher than the $250 million paid during the same 11-month period for the previous tax year — likely occurred for two reasons:

Taxpayers who couldn’t pay on time because the 2023 second-installment due date came just eight months after their 2022 taxes were due eventually saved enough money to pay.

More homeowners in the south and southwest suburbs hit with record-high tax increases managed to come up with the extra money.[4]

Although the number of property owners who paid interest on their delinquent second-installment tax bills in 2023 was greater than in any of the previous four years, the total amount of interest they paid was lower. (Figure 3)

Figure 3: Properties That Paid Interest on Second Installment Tax Bills One Year After Taxes Were Due, Tax Years 2018-2023
Tax Year	Properties That Paid Interest	Interest Paid
2023	165,332	$16,720,832
2022	150,606	$25,985,754
2021	134,840	$22,602,229
2020	153,560	$23,885,160
2019	92,354	$18,905,859
2018	144,437	$19,601,782

That’s because the interest rate was halved to .75% a month beginning in tax year 2023,[5] after a Treasurer’s Office analysis found the penalty primarily impacted low-income, minority communities and lobbied state lawmakers to lower it.[6] Had the interest rate not been lowered, taxpayers would have paid an additional $16.7 million.

Bill Adjustments

Tax bills may be adjusted after they are sent out, and even after they are due, which ends up reducing the overall amount taxpayers owe.

Bills are adjusted by retroactively applying missed homeowner exemptions that lower the amount owed, as well as Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board and local court appeal decisions that lower contested tax bills. All of those after-the-fact adjustments lead to either tax refunds or reductions in the amount owed.

By Sept. 16, 2025, adjustments had reduced the county’s $18.3 billion total 2023 property tax tab by $180 million, or 1%.

Some of those reductions were made when the Assessor’s Office acknowledged an error in many land valuations and issued certificates of error — adjustments made after bills are sent out — that reduced their values, and thus their bills.[7]

With reductions subtracted from the amount owed, the tax year 2023 collection rate one year out rose to 98.5%. About $280 million in 2023 taxes remained unpaid.

Because taxpayers can retroactively apply for missing exemptions for three years, and appeals can take years to conclude, the total amount owed for tax year 2023 will likely drop even further. For example, the initial $15.6 billion owed for tax year 2019 had been reduced by $490.4 million as of September 2025.[8] (Figure 4)

Figure 4: Tax Bill Adjustments After Mailing, Tax Years 2018 to 2023 as of 9/16/2025
Tax Year	Mailed Amount Billed	Adjusted Amount Billed	Total Change	% Change
2018	$14.97 Billion	$14.52 Billion	-$442.99 Million	-2.96%
2019	$15.58 Billion	$15.09 Billion	-$490.36 Million	-3.15%
2020	$16.12 Billion	$15.74 Billion	-$379.15 Million	-2.35%
2021	$16.73 Billion	$16.48 Billion	-$255.76 Million	-1.53%
2022	$17.63 Billion	$17.43 Billion	-$199.32 Million	-1.13%
2023	$18.32 Billion	$18.14 Billion	-$179.92 Million	-0.98%

Lowest Collecting Communities

While collection rates overall rebounded, many homeowners in the south and southwest suburbs still struggled to pay their taxes. Residential property collection rates in those suburbs were nearly 1% lower than they were in the previous year — a sign that a record high 19.9% increase in the median tax bill caused financial hardship in many homes.

Five south suburbs still had collection rates that were at least 2% lower than in the previous year. (Figure 5) The portion of Steger that’s in Cook County saw the largest decline, with its collection rate dropping to 87.8% from 90%. The drop was more severe for residential properties, where the collection rate fell to 89.8% from 94.4%.

Markham was the most populous municipality with a collection rate decline of at least 2%, with collections falling to 85.8% from 88%. The residential collection rate fell to 83.2% from 85.6%.

Figure 5: Municipalities with Largest Tax Year 2023 Collection Rate Decreases One Year After Taxes Were Due
Municipality	Taxable Properties	Taxes Billed	Taxes Collected	Collection Rate 2023	Collection Rate 2022	Collection Rate % Change
Steger	2,930	$7.82 Million	$6.86 Million	87.79%	90.30%	-2.79%
Markham	7,499	$52.96 Million	$45.44 Million	85.81%	88.08%	-2.58%
Hometown	1,670	$7.17 Million	$6.89 Million	96.08%	98.22%	-2.18%
Blue Island	7,250	$48.61 Million	$43.13 Million	88.72%	90.66%	-2.14%
South Chicago Heights	2,027	$11.67 Million	$10.37 Million	88.82%	90.64%	-2.01%
Stickney	2,351	$18.98 Million	$17.38 Million	91.61%	93.26%	-1.76%
Stone Park	1,198	$9.34 Million	$8.74 Million	93.65%	95.05%	-1.47%
Palos Hills	7,737	$47.53 Million	$45.9 Million	96.58%	97.82%	-1.27%
Olympia Fields	2,134	$24.17 Million	$21.81 Million	90.24%	91.30%	-1.16%
Justice	3,236	$23.67 Million	$23.00 Million	97.17%	98.29%	-1.15%

Who Still Owes?

Late-payment interest continued to accrue on the $280 million in property taxes that remained unpaid. As of Sept. 16, 2025, property owners owed $31.7 million in interest. Homes and vacant lots made up nearly 90% of tax-delinquent properties. But businesses — commercial, industrial, and large multifamily properties — accounted for more than half of the dollar amount of unpaid taxes. (Figure 6)

Figure 6: Tax Delinquent Properties by Type, Tax Year 2023 as of 9/16/2025
Property Type	Delinquent Prop. Count	Tax Amount Due	Interest Amount Due	Total Amount Due
Residential	31,525	$89.81 Million	$9.75 Million	$99.56 Million
Vacant	25,902	$29.37 Million	$3.51 Million	$32.88 Million
Commercial	5,558	$125.01 Million	$14.36 Million	$139.37 Million
Industrial	1,245	$30.73 Million	$3.55 Million	$34.28 Million
Multifamily	346	$5.35 Million	$0.58 Million	$5.93 Million
Grand Total	64,576	$280.27 Million	$31.75 Million	$312.01 Million

Struggling Homeowners

Taxes were still owed on about 31,500 homes, just under half of all delinquent properties. Of those properties, 10,992 had a homestead exemption, meaning the owner lives in the home. Nearly a third of those with the exemption were seniors, and 515 — including 15 veterans — were disabled, tax records show.

Nearly half of the county’s tax delinquent homeowners live in the south and southwest suburbs. (Figure 7)

Figure 7: Residential Collection Rate and Tax Delinquency by Assessment Region, Tax Year 2023 One Year After Taxes Were Due
Assessment Region	Collection Rate 2023	Collection Rate % Change 2022-2023	Tax Delinquent Properties	Tax Amount Due	Interest Amount Due	Total Amount Due
Chicago	98.36%	-0.06%	14,397	$26.9 Million	$2.9 Million	$29.8 Million
North/Northwest	98.94%	0.09%	2,221	$8.9 Million	$0.93 Million	$9.9 Million
South/Southwest	95.29%	-1.14%	14,907	$54.0 Million	$5.9 Million	$59.9 Million
Cook County	97.70%	-0.36%	31,525	$89.81 Million	$9.75 Million	$99.56 Million

The city of Harvey led all suburban municipalities with 3,152 tax delinquent homes, followed by Chicago Heights (991) and Calumet City (946).

Nearly half of tax delinquent residential properties were in Chicago, concentrated on the city’s South and West sides. The Roseland Community Area had the most delinquent homeowners in the city, with 956, followed by West Englewood (854), West Pullman (831) and Englewood (825).

Many homeowners are trying, but struggling, to pay their taxes. About 30.6% of tax delinquent homeowners across the county made partial payments, indicating an intention to pay their bill. By comparison, owners of only 17.1% of delinquent business properties and 3.4% of delinquent vacant lots made partial payments.

Vacant Land

As the Treasurer’s Office has previously documented,[9] the collection rate on vacant land is significantly lower than it is for all other property types. Vacant lots in tax year 2023 made up less than 3.6% of all taxable properties in Cook County, but accounted for 40.1% of delinquent properties.

Tax-delinquent vacant lots are concentrated in Chicago’s South and West sides and the south and southwest suburbs. In Chicago, Englewood and West Englewood have the most tax delinquent vacant lots, with more than 1,900 each. In the suburbs, Harvey has the most, with 1,885, followed by Chicago Heights and Robbins, which both have more than 1,000.

Tax delinquency is higher for vacant land than other property types because empty lots are often worth little, may have been abandoned, been used as an illegal dump site or have unclear ownership. The median market value of delinquent vacant lots was $20,150, far lower than the $220,000 countywide median market value for all properties. More than 12.5% of delinquent vacant properties had no taxpayer name on record.

Owners of these lots may have little incentive to pay property taxes — losing a low-value vacant lot may have little impact on the owner financially, and the taxes for most vacant lots go unsold at tax sales, meaning that owners of delinquent vacant lots face little pressure to pay.

Businesses

While accounting for relatively few of the county’s delinquent properties, more than half of the county’s unpaid taxes were owed by businesses, including commercial, industrial and large multifamily properties.

Businesses in the south and southwest suburbs accounted for $79.9 million of the $161.1 million in unpaid taxes in the county. In Harvey — where the City Council in October 2025 asked the state to declare the suburb financially distressed[10] — 662 businesses owed $9.2 million in taxes, leading the region in both the number of tax delinquent businesses and the amount of money businesses owe.

Property owners' inability, sometimes refusal, to pay their taxes has been a longstanding problem in Harvey, a long-struggling south suburb with one of the highest tax rates in the county. Schools, the city and other local governments in Harvey are owed more than $312.4 million in unpaid taxes, and another $441.4 million in interest accumulated during the past 20 years. Businesses owed nearly 49% of the unpaid taxes and interest.

Chicago businesses owed $66.1 million for tax year 2023. Downtown community areas — the Loop, Near South Side, Near North Side and Near West Side — accounted for $30.4 million of the delinquency total.

Businesses in the North and Northwest suburbs owed only $15.2 million in delinquent taxes, significantly less than in other regions.

Looking Ahead: More Due Date Volatility

Tax bill delays in tax year 2022 created a tight window between tax bill second installments in 2023 that likely contributed to low initial collection rates — and more property owners paying late, with interest. That showed bill delays can cause financial stress for property owners.

Bill delays, which have been frequent in recent years,[11] also are a major issue for local governments that rely on property taxes to fund services, because many school districts and taxing agencies are forced to borrow money while waiting for property tax dollars to be distributed to them.[12]

The mailing of second-installment tax bills for tax year 2024 has already been delayed by the second-longest period of time since at least 1978, due to issues with upgrading the county’s property tax computer systems. The bill delay could create another tight window in tax year 2025.[13]  If tax year 2023 is a solid indicator, the delay may cause lower-than-average short-term collection rates and impose another financial burden on taxpayers who can’t pay their bills on time.

By Christopher Silber, Cook County Treasurer’s Office Research Team

---