Nigerian Community • Chicago
Igbo Community in Chicago
18,000–22,000 Nigerian-born in Chicago metro • Matteson: highest Nigerian concentration in Chicagoland • Igbo-language Mass at Our Lady of Africa since 2008 • 2026 UIU National Convention host city
Chicago’s Igbo community has roots going back to the Biafran War era — some of the oldest Nigerian families in America settled here in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, roughly 18,000–22,000 Nigerian-born residents call the Chicago metro home, with the Igbo community anchored in two distinct zones: the south suburban corridor (Matteson, Homewood, Country Club Hills) and the South Side of Chicago (Bronzeville, Chatham, South Chicago). The RCCG House of Praise in Matteson is the primary Pentecostal church for south suburban Nigerians. Our Lady of Africa Parish in Bronzeville hosts Igbo-language Mass twice monthly. And in August 2026, Chicago hosts the UIU National Convention — the largest Igbo professional gathering in North America.
Last updated: March 2026 • Full Nigerian Community guide for Chicago →
Why Igbo Families Choose Chicago
The Igbo community in Chicago is anchored by three converging forces: healthcare employment, historical roots, and the gravitational pull of established community infrastructure. Chicago is home to some of America’s most prominent hospital systems, and Nigerian professionals — including a disproportionate share of Igbo physicians, nurses, and pharmacists — have built careers at UChicago Medicine (including Ingalls Memorial in Harvey, directly in the south suburban community zone), Advocate South Suburban Hospital (Hazel Crest), Rush University Medical Center, and Northwestern Memorial. Cook County Health and the City of Chicago government also employ significant numbers of Nigerian professionals in public-sector roles.
The history matters too. Igbo political refugees and students arrived in Chicago in the late 1960s during and after the Biafran War, establishing roots on the South Side decades before most Nigerian communities in other US cities existed. That history created a depth of institution-building — Catholic Igbo Masses, cultural organizations, and community networks — that new arrivals inherit. When you arrive in Chicago, the Igbo community already has a place set for you.
Nigerians are the most educated immigrant group in America: 61%+ hold bachelor’s degrees, 29%+ hold graduate degrees. The Igbo community reflects this pattern, with strong representation in medicine, technology, finance, and public administration across the Chicago metro.
Where Igbo Families Live in Chicago
The Igbo community in Chicago has two distinct geographic centers that reflect two different eras of settlement. Understanding both helps you decide where you want to put down roots.
The South Suburbs — Matteson, Homewood, Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest
This is where Igbo family life in Chicago is most fully developed today. Matteson (total population 19,073 (ACS 2022)) has the highest Nigerian ancestry concentration in the entire Chicago metro — approximately 2.5% by census self-report, with the actual Nigerian-born and second-generation population likely higher. The suburb is 82.6% Black, making it culturally compatible territory for Nigerian families accustomed to life in predominantly African communities. Rose Plaza at 4736 W. 211th Street functions as the community’s informal commercial hub — this is where you’ll find Goldenmyne African Market, the premier grocery for palm oil, ogiri, utazi leaves, ofor thickener, and other Nigerian pantry staples unavailable in mainstream stores.
Homewood (population ~18,000, approximately 1.8% African (ACS 2022)-born) has the south suburbs’ primary Nigerian restaurant, African Food Factory & Grill on Dixie Highway, plus an Anglican congregation for Igbo families from Anglican backgrounds. Hazel Crest is home to Advocate South Suburban Hospital, a major employer. Harvey has UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial. Monee hosts the headquarters of the Umuada Igbo in Diaspora Illinois Foundation (UIFI). The entire corridor from Matteson through Homewood through Harvey is connected not by walkable streets but by church on Sunday, text message chains, the African market run on Saturday, and a shared understanding of where home is.
The South Side of Chicago — Bronzeville, Chatham, South Shore, South Chicago
The South Side represents the original Igbo Chicago — families who arrived in the 1960s and 1970s during and after the Biafran War. A 2017 City Bureau investigation described these neighborhoods as “becoming a home away from the North Side nucleus” for West African immigrants, with Chatham, South Chicago, and Bronzeville hosting established Nigerian enclaves. Our Lady of Africa Parish at 607 E. Oakwood Blvd. (Bronzeville) is the spiritual center of Catholic Igbo life on the South Side, hosting Igbo-language Mass twice monthly. Southside African Restaurant at 8311 S. Baltimore Ave. in the South Chicago neighborhood is the community restaurant — where the older, established Nigerian community gathers, celebrates, and remains connected. L’Afrique Market in the South Loop (2001 S. State Street) provides upscale African grocery access for South Side families.
Igbo Organizations in Chicago
Chicago’s Igbo organizational infrastructure ranges from the nationally connected Umu Igbo Unite to the women-centered Umuada Igbo in Diaspora Illinois Foundation. The community is organized, active, and — in 2026 — hosting North America’s largest Igbo professional gathering.
Umu Igbo Unite (UIU) Chicago Chapter — Young Professionals Hub
Founded 2020 • Email: Chicago@umuigbounite.com • Instagram: @uiu.chicago • umuigbounite.com/chapters/chicago/
The Chicago chapter of Umu Igbo Unite Corporation — a national 501(c)(3) with 14+ chapters and 5,000+ members founded in Atlanta in 2005 — is the most active Igbo organization for the 25–45 professional demographic. Its 2025 executive board includes Igbo professionals across pharma, medicine, academia (Ivuoma Onyeador is a Northwestern University professor), project management, and public relations. The chapter’s mission: “to promote Igbo culture as a Chicago community; amongst Igbo young professionals and individuals interested in Igbo culture through networking, community development, engagement, and advocacy.”
Key events: the Annual Igbo Festival (July) in partnership with the IAC, featuring traditional dances, fashion shows, masquerades, poetry readings, and singing; the New Yam (Iri Ji) Educational Event (August, virtual); networking mixers, summer barbecues, and community service drives. Most critically: the 2026 UIU National Convention comes to Chicago, August 6–9, 2026 — theme “Igbo Kwenu: Voice, Vision, Purpose.” This will be the largest Igbo professional gathering in Chicago’s history. Contact: convention@umuigbounite.com. If you are an Igbo professional new to Chicago, connect with UIU Chicago first.
Umuada Igbo in Diaspora Illinois Foundation (UIFI)
Founded 2014 • 26117 South Countyfair Drive, Monee, IL 60449 • (708) 259-0811 • Umuadaigboillinoisfoundation@aol.com • uifichicago.org
A women-centered 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Monee (adjacent to the Matteson community corridor), UIFI exists to ensure “the legacy of Igbo culture, traditions and values” with particular focus on diaspora youth and women’s empowerment. Core programs include Igbo language instruction for diaspora children, back-to-school programs with community picnics, women’s empowerment and English language support for new arrivals, and healthcare and economic development initiatives. The annual Induction/Inauguration ceremony is held on September 10. UIFI is the organization for Igbo families — especially women and children — navigating American life while keeping Igbo identity alive in the second generation.
Igbo Catholic Community Archdiocese of Chicago (ICCAC)
Founded 2008 • Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit • Host Parish: Our Lady of Africa (Bronzeville)
ICCAC is the formal organizational body that coordinates Igbo Catholic life within the Archdiocese of Chicago. Its mission: to help Igbo Catholics maintain and promote their Catholic cultural heritage and celebrate Mass in the Igbo language. The organization has operated for nearly two decades, making it one of the longest-established Igbo institutions in Chicago. Contact through Our Lady of Africa Parish for current meeting schedule and event calendar.
Chicago Nigerians Community Network
Instagram: @chicagonigerians (3,000+ followers). An informal but active digital hub serving both Igbo and Yoruba Chicago communities. Announcements, events, and social connections are shared here. A practical first stop for newcomers who want to know what’s happening in the community before they’ve built their own networks.
Igbo Churches & Houses of Worship
Religious institutions are the primary community anchor for Igbo Chicagoans. Catholic churches, Anglican congregations, and Nigerian Pentecostal ministries together form the spiritual infrastructure of the community. Whether your family roots are in the Anglican churches of Anambra, the Catholic parishes of Imo, or the RCCG of the new generation, Chicago has a church home for you.
Our Lady of Africa Parish — Igbo Catholic Center
607 East Oakwood Blvd., Chicago, IL 60653 (Bronzeville/Douglas neighborhood, South Side) • (773) 624-5375 • ourladyofafricachicago.org
Established 2021 through the merger of five historic South Side parishes, Our Lady of Africa is the spiritual home of Catholic Igbo Chicago. The Igbo Catholic Community Archdiocese of Chicago (ICCAC) holds its Igbo-language Mass at 2:30 PM on the last two Sundays of each month — conducted in the Igbo language for cultural preservation and for elderly members who worship most comfortably in their mother tongue. Fr. Stan Chu Ilo, a Nigerian diocesan priest and DePaul University professor, previously served as chaplain to the Igbo community here — reflecting the parish’s serious commitment to the Nigerian spiritual community. The parish also hosts Mass for Ghanaian (in Twi) and French-speaking African and Caribbean communities. Arrive early — the Igbo Mass draws strong attendance and seats fill quickly.
RCCG House of Praise, Matteson — South Suburban Anchor
5527 Miller Circle Drive, Matteson, IL 60443 • rccgmatteson.org • Pastor: Abiodun Johnson
Services: Sunday at 11:00 AM (in-person and online) | Wednesday Prayer Meeting at 8:00 PM
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) House of Praise is the primary Nigerian Pentecostal congregation for the south suburban Igbo and Yoruba communities. RCCG is one of the world’s largest Pentecostal denominations, founded in Nigeria, with 800+ North American parishes — and this Matteson location is the south suburban community’s spiritual home. Its address in the heart of the Matteson corridor places it minutes from where most south suburban Igbo families live. RCCG Household of Faith in Lansing (2015 E. 175th Street) serves the eastern edge of the corridor.
All Saints Anglican Church, Chicagoland
Dolphin Lake Club House, 183rd Governors Highway, Homewood, IL 60430
Affiliation: Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), registered with the Missioners Office of the Church of Nigeria since 2004. One of the only documented Nigerian Anglican congregations in the south suburbs — a congregation for Igbo families with Anglican backgrounds, which is common among families from Anambra, Imo, and Enugu states. Contact details should be verified before visiting.
Additional Nigerian Congregations
- Nigerian Seventh-Day Adventist Church — 19 W. 23rd Street, Chicago Heights, IL 60411 | (708) 755-0095. A specifically Nigerian SDA congregation serving the Adventist segment of the south suburban Nigerian community.
- Winners Chapel International Chicago — 6015 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL 60659 (Rogers Park area) | winnerschapelchicago.org. Living Faith Church Worldwide, a major Nigerian denomination, with a North Side location.
- Mountain of Fire & Miracles Ministries (MFM) Chicago — 5534 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL 60625 (Albany Park) | mfmchicago1.org. One of Nigeria’s major Pentecostal ministries, serving a multiethnic Nigerian congregation on the North Side.
Nigerian & Igbo Restaurants in Chicago
Most Nigerian restaurants in Chicago serve a pan-Nigerian menu — jollof rice, egusi soup, fufu, pounded yam, pepper soup — rather than exclusively Igbo dishes. For specifically Igbo preparations like ofe onugbu (bitter leaf soup), oha soup, abacha (African salad), or nkwobi, call ahead and ask. The south suburbs currently lack a dedicated Igbo restaurant; African Food Factory & Grill in Homewood is the closest anchor. For deeply Igbo flavors, Goldenmyne Market and L’Afrique Market sell the ingredients to cook at home.
African Food Factory & Grill — South Suburban Anchor
18201 Dixie Highway, Suite B, Homewood, IL 60430 • (708) 960-4166
Hours: Wednesday–Thursday, Saturday–Sunday: 10 AM–8 PM | Friday: 10 AM–10 PM
Delivery: Uber Eats and Postmates
Owned by Maryam Lala (Nigerian native, Hazel Crest resident), who ran Southside African Restaurant on Chicago’s South Side for eight years before opening this Homewood location in August 2023. The community calls this “home away from home.” Menu: jollof rice, egusi soup, fufu, grilled fish, goat meat pepper soup. The south suburbs’ most important food anchor for Nigerian families — and the natural stopping point after a Saturday run to Goldenmyne Market a few miles away. Call ahead to confirm availability of specific Igbo dishes.
Southside African Restaurant — South Side Institution
8311 S. Baltimore Ave., Chicago, IL 60617 (South Chicago neighborhood) • (872) 666-5588
Hours: Monday–Friday 10 AM–10 PM | Saturday 11 AM–10 PM | Sunday closed
Delivery: Uber Eats
The community restaurant for Chicago’s older, established South Side Nigerian families. Customers chat in Yoruba and Igbo; catering orders for naming ceremonies and birthdays are a primary business line. Summer suya grilling in the adjacent parking lot is a beloved community tradition. Menu: jollof rice, egusi, pounded yam, and traditional staples.
Iyanze Restaurant Bar & Café — North Side Best
4623 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640 (Uptown) • (773) 944-1417 • iyanzechicagoil.com
Hours: Monday–Sunday 11 AM–8 PM
One of Chicago’s most cited Nigerian restaurants. Menu highlights: jollof rice with chicken, egusi and pounded yam, suya, fresh okra with assorted meat, smoked goat meat. When available, the isi-ewu (goat head) is a specifically Igbo delicacy — ask seasonally. Worth the trip from the south suburbs.
More Nigerian Restaurants
- Nigerian Kitchen — 4447 N. Broadway St., Chicago, IL 60640 (Uptown) | (773) 271-4010 | nigeriankitchen.net. Late-night hours Friday (until 3 AM). Fried plantain, egusi, moi-moi, suya, stockfish. Clusters with Iyanze for a Nigerian restaurant strip on N. Broadway.
- Bisi African Restaurant — 853 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg, IL | (847) 466-5425. Featured in Chicago Magazine (August 2019) as the #1 Nigerian restaurant in Chicagoland. Chef Kafilat “Bisi” Agaba has 30+ years of experience. Egusi stew, suya, goat pepper soup. Worth a special trip.
- Dozzy’s Grill — 1811 W. Harrison St., Chicago (Near West Side/Medical District, inside Hyatt Place Hotel) | (312) 869-9623. Award-winning Jollof Rice Bowls, Suya Kabobs, Ayamashe, Akara. Weekday lunch spot; well-suited for Nigerian healthcare professionals at Rush or UIC Medical Center. Featured on WTTW Chicago (2022).
African Grocery Stores
Goldenmyne African Store — South Suburban Lifeline
4736 W. 211th Street, Matteson, IL 60443 (Rose Plaza, near Panda Express)
Facebook: GoldenmyneFoods | Instagram: @goldenmyneafricanstore
Founded 2020, recently relocated to Rose Plaza (2025) with a grand re-opening welcomed by the Village of Matteson officially. Serving Matteson, Homewood, Park Forest, Chicago Heights, Sauk Village, and the surrounding south suburbs, Goldenmyne is where Igbo families buy what matters: palm oil, ogiri, utazi leaves, ofor thickener, African spices, fresh produce (yams, cocoyams, plantains), meats, and fabrics. Its location at the same Rose Plaza strip where the community shops means Saturday market day here functions as a community gathering. This is the essential stop for any Igbo family establishing a household in the south suburbs.
L’Afrique Market — South Loop
2001 S. State Street, Suite 104, Chicago, IL 60616 • (312) 344-1931 • lafriquemarket.com
Hours: Monday 10 AM–8 PM | Tuesday–Saturday 9 AM–8 PM | Sunday 10 AM–7 PM
Nationwide delivery available.
Founded by Ibrahim Agoro, a first-generation Nigerian immigrant, L’Afrique was named Best African Grocery by South Side Weekly. Stock is comprehensive for Igbo cooking: fresh yams (Ghana Puna Yam), cocoyams, plantains, ugu (fluted pumpkin leaves), bitter leaf, stockfish, smoked catfish, dried shrimp, goat meat; pantry items including fufu flour, egusi seeds, gari, African hot sauce, suya mix, curry powder, alligator pepper. Nationwide delivery makes it a resource for Igbo families across the metro.
Igbo Culture & Festivals in Chicago
Annual Igbo Festival — July
Organized by UIU Chicago in partnership with the IAC (Igbo cultural organization), the annual Igbo Festival is a grand cultural showcase held each July. Most recent confirmed date: Saturday, July 27, 2024. Format: traditional dances, fashion show, masquerades, poetry readings, and singing. Contact UIU Chicago at Chicago@umuigbounite.com for 2026 venue and date. This is the community’s largest annual cultural gathering — the event where diaspora-born children see masquerades for the first time and where new arrivals find their people.
New Yam Festival (Iri Ji) — August
The New Yam Festival (Iri ji in standard Igbo; also Iwa ji) marks the end of the yam harvest and the beginning of the new agricultural year. In Chicago, UIU organizes an annual Iri Ji educational event each August (most recent: August 18, 2024, via Zoom) exploring the festival’s history and significance for diaspora youth. The New Yam is not merely a harvest festival — it is a declaration that the community’s story continues, even 6,000 miles from home.
2026 UIU National Convention — Chicago
August 6–9, 2026 • Theme: “Igbo Kwenu: Voice, Vision, Purpose” • contact: convention@umuigbounite.com
The national UIU convention comes to Chicago in 2026 — the first time the convention will be held here. Igbo professionals from across the United States and Canada will gather for four days of networking, cultural programming, leadership development, and community building. If you are relocating to Chicago and want to plug into the national Igbo professional network from day one, this is the event to attend. Planning is underway; register early.
Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022 5-Year Estimates) • Community organization websites and direct verification • Local school district enrollment data • Zillow and Apartments.com (rent estimates) • Glassdoor and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (salary data) • Redfin (home price data). Community population estimates reflect available Census language data combined with organization-reported figures. Read our full research methodology →