This article examines the effect of the change of ethnic population and racial residential segregation on cities' housing variables in Chicago metropolitan areas. The effect of the change of racial segregation is considered as a critical fact to fully explain Chicago metropolitan cities' housing with an adequate range of US census data. Accordingly, the major purpose of this study is to explore the change of ethnic population and racial residential segregation by analyzing 156 cities' housing variables, using a cross-sectional data set from Census Bureau 2000-2010 in the Chicago metropolitan statistical area (MSA).
Two major findings are as follows: the growth of ethnic groups (Black and Hispanic) is strongly supported over the rate of growth of housing units and the rate of growth of rent housing units during the decade and the change of Hispanic - White dissimilarity index 2000-2010 affect the rate of growth of median housing value between 2000 and 2010. That is, the racial residential segregation cannot almost affect the housing characteristics except the rate of growth of median housing value. Accordingly, the growth of ethnic groups (Black and Hispanic) virtually relates the housing variables in the 156 Chicago metropolitan cities between 2000 and 2010. Therefore, urban American is becoming increasingly heterogeneous ethically and racially. While at the same time, many metropolitan cities are becoming increasingly more homogeneous as the middle class leaves. The results should be simultaneously considered by housing policy makers or planners as they try to achieve desirable housing policies in the Chicago metropolitan area.