Cook County Fiscal Strength Presentation
County Overview and Primary Functions
■ The County of Cook, Illinois (the "County") is a diverse international center of business,
industry, and culture and the leading economic hub of the Midwest
■ With a population of over 5.28 million, the County is the second most populous in the
country and central to the U.S.'s third largest metro area¹
The County's 946 square miles consist of the City of Chicago (population 2.7 million) and
131 additional suburban municipalities; 29 townships; 220 special districts; and 164 school
districts²
■ The County is a home rule unit of government under Illinois law and may exercise any
power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs, except as expressly
limited by State law
Chicago
Chicago MSA
Cook County
•
☐
No current statutory limitations on power to levy real property taxes or issue GO Bonds
Powers are exercised through an elected 17-member Board of Commissioners and the
Board President
1.
2.
Provision of Public
Health Services
Protection of Persons
and Property
General Governmental
Services
Principal Functions of County Government
The Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems ("CCHHS"), consisting of:
Department of Public Health
Stroger and Provident Hospitals
Outpatient health centers and clinics
Cermak Health Services
Consists mainly of operations of Circuit Court (second largest unified court system in the U.S.) and
County Jail (the largest single jail site facility in the U.S.)
Sheriff's police department, criminal prosecutions
The assessment of property and the levy, collection, and distribution of taxes to all underlying
jurisdictions
Maintenance of certain highways, services for unincorporated areas of the County, and county-wide
regional economic development efforts
Finance and Administration of County government
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census as of July 2020. See also p. 10 of the Preliminary Official Statement dated November 5, 2021.
Source for City population: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census as of April 2020. See also p. 10 of the Preliminary Official Statement dated November 5, 2021.
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COOK
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