Who Are We, Skokie?

You know Skokie as your home, your kids’ schools, the place you work and the stores where you shop.

But there are other ways to look at your hometown. Census facts, for example, paint a mathematically precise way of parsing the village. Consider these nuggets of information from the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Skokie is diverse (OK, you knew that.) 40 percent of Skokieans were born in a foreign country. 51 percent speak a language other than English at home. This is far more than most suburbs--but not as much as Niles.
• Skokie is old. People aged 65 and older make up 17.4 percent of the population, well over the Illinois average of 12.5 percent. Meanwhile, Skokie lacks little kids. Tykes aged 4 and under make up 5.3 percent of the population, while Illinois as a whole has 6.5 percent little kids. Have more babies, people!
• Skokie is Asian. A whopping 26 percent of Skokie’s population reports Asian ancestry, compared to a measly 4.6 percent in Illinois as a whole. Population numbers of Asian and black residents are edging up, while the white population makes up about 60 percent. Perhaps Skokie has good feng shui?
• Skokie is rich and poor. There’s income disparity here. The median household income is $66,642. However, 8.6 percent of the population falls below poverty level.
• Somebody is spending money. Retail sales ring up at $1.22 billion yearly. It sure is nice to have an upscale mall.
• Skokie is 10 square miles. At any given time, six square miles are in a construction zone. Or so it seems.
• Skokie has thinning hair. The median age is 42. You want to sell Rogaine, Botox or Barry Manilow CDs? Come to Skokie.
• 65,066 people. That’s the total population, and it’s been growing in recent years. Yay! We hope they all become readers of Skokie Patch. Think of the possibilities.