Dolton () is a village and south suburb in Thornton Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,426 at the 2020 census. Dolton is located just west of the expressway Interstate 94 and immediately south of the city limits of Chicago. It is bordered by Chicago to the north, Riverdale and Harvey to the west, South Holland to the south, and Calumet City to the east.

History A post office has been in operation in Dolton since 1854. The village was named for a family of early settlers. The villages of Dolton and nearby Riverdale were effectively one community until each incorporated separately in 1892.

Geography In 2021, Dolton was an area of , of which (or 97.50%) is land and (or 2.50%) is water.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Dolton village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)23,26513,4293,3901,22659893.94%56.12%13.23%5.30%2.79%Black or African American alone (NH)4839,04420,97320,93219,3221.95%37.79%81.88%90.41%90.18%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)17 Compiliation of American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut categories522814190.07%0.22%0.11%0.06%0.09%Asian alone (NH)221 Compiliation of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Asian Indian, and Vietnamese categories. Other Asian groups would be included in the Some Other Race category31314468380.89%1.31%0.56%0.29%0.18%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1 Compiliation of Hawaiian, Guamanian, and Samoan categories. Other Pacific Islander groups would be included in the Some Other Race category25 Derived from extracting Pacific Islander population from Asian population4310.00%0.10%0.02%0.01%0.00%Other race alone (NH)48 Calculated as the difference between the total population and all other categories634241070.19%0.03%0.13%0.10%0.50%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x Not an option in the 1980 Census x Not an option in the 1990 Census250264404xx0.98%1.14%1.89%Hispanic or Latino (any race)731 Listed as Spanish origin in the 1980 Census. Racial identification for Hispanics only consisted of White, Black, and Some Other Race; hence, a small number of Latinos may be also be included in the counts for Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islander1,0617916229372.95%4.43%3.09%2.69%4.37%Total24,76623,93025,61423,15321,426100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Dolton had a population of 21,426, with 7,766 households and 5,361 families.

The median age was 39.5 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 85.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males age 18 and over. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

Among households in Dolton, 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 28.9% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 47.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,768 housing units, of which 11.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.1%. The population density was , and housing density was .

Demographic estimates

The average household size was 3.44 and the average family size was 2.78.

The village's age distribution included 10.7% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, and 27% from 45 to 64.

Income and poverty

The median income for a household in the village was $50,237. The median income for a family was $57,634. Males had a median income of $33,939 versus $33,354 for females. The per capita income for the village was $22,135. About 15.4% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.8% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture Dolton Public Library opened in 1954. First located inside the Village Hall, it contained 5,000 books and magazines. The library moved to a new facility in 1967 and featured a collection of 35,000 books.

Parks and recreation Dolton features over of recreational properties, and 11 parks. A recreational center contains a gymnasium and fitness room.

Government

Most of the village is part of the Dolton Park District, with a small portion served by the Calumet Memorial Park District. The entire village is part of the Dolton Public Library District and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.Cook County Clerks Office

Mayors Mayors of Dolton, Illinois Image Mayor Years Notes Fred J. Ehlert 1913–1919 Charles H. Smythe 1919–1923 William C. Krueger 1923–1927 John Harms Jr. 1927–1929 Charles Dickelman 1929–1935 Ira Hastings 1935–1957 Fred Kasten 1957–1965 Albert J. Ohlsen 1965 Served the last six months of mayor Kasten's term Thomas Harper 1965–1969 Norman MacKay 1969–1985 J. Michael Peck 1985–1993 Donald Hart 1993–1997 William Shaw 1997–2008 Died in office First African-American mayor. Ronnie Lewis 2008–2013 Acting in 2008; elected to full term in 2009 Riley H. Rogers 2013–2021 Tiffany Henyard 2021–2025 Jason House 2025–present

Allegations of misspending and harassment In November 2023, WGN News published a two-part series alleging widespread misspending and harassment of political opponents by the mayor, Tiffany Henyard.

On February 20, 2024, it was reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had launched a probe into alleged misconduct by Mayor Henyard.

Education The entire village is part of South Suburban Community College District 510.

Infrastructure

Transportation Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Dolton to destinations across the Southland.

Notable buildings Pope Leo XIV childhood home

Notable people Ronnie Baker Brooks, musician Susan Carlson, broadcast journalist and news anchor Kevin Duckworth, professional basketball player Nelsan Ellis, actor who played Lafayette Reynolds in True Blood Reggie Hayward, professional football player Andrew Holmes, activist and politician Perry Johnson, businessman Pope Leo XIV, grew up in Dolton Jane Lynch, entertainer Derek Needham, professional basketball player Richard Roeper, film critic; grew up in Dolton William Shaw, Illinois state legislator and mayor of Dolton'William "Bill" Shaw: 1937-2008,' Chicago Tribune, Rick Pearson and Stacy St. Clair, November 28, 2008 Pops Staples, musician who lived many years in Dolton R. Bruce Waddell, politician

References

External links