Chicago Opportunity Zones

Chicago sits within Illinois, which is running its own OZ 2.0 selection process under the federal framework. The state's lead agency is Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). Illinois has 957 census tracts eligible under OZ 2.0 — it can nominate up to 240 to Treasury.

482 eligible tracts fall in Chicago's constituent county (Cook County) per the IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-14 appendix — the same county totals shown on the state page. OZ 2.0's tightened eligibility criteria — median family income at or below 70% of the state/metro reference (down from 80% under OZ 1.0), with the contiguous-tract option eliminated — means fewer Chicago neighborhoods qualify than under the 2018 OZ 1.0 map. How states choose OZ 2.0 tracts →

For investors targeting Chicago, the OZ 2.0 tax benefits — rolling 5-year deferral, 10% basis step-up (or 30% for Rural QROFs in qualifying rural tracts), and 100% federal-tax-free exclusion of QOF appreciation after a 10-year hold — apply to investments made on or after January 1, 2027. See the full OZ 1.0 vs 2.0 comparison →

What Chicago's demographics imply: with a median household income of $65,781 and a 18.4% poverty rate, Chicago is likely to keep a meaningful share of Opportunity Zone tracts in higher-poverty census areas, while higher-income neighborhoods that qualified through the contiguous-tract pathway under OZ 1.0 will lose zone status under OZ 2.0.