In 2020, the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) began working with the Urban Institute to develop a picture of adult learners in Chicago. We developed a comprehensive definition of adult learners that guided specific data inquiries from publicly available American Community Survey data. In this data profile, we define an adult learner as anyone who is 25 years or older, or anyone who is ages 18–24 but assumes an adult role, such as a parent, full-time worker, or veteran. We proceed by including key tables and visualizations of this population in Chicago, including implications for programming should CCC decide to focus on any of the subpopulations.

By releasing this data profile publicly, we aim to inform other Chicago-based organizations in their efforts to serve adult learners, as well as to provide other communities outside Chicago a framework for understanding their adult learner population.