President Preckwinkle Announces Participant Cohort Details for Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot

Today, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced details and demographic information regarding the participant cohort enrolled in the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot (Promise Pilot). Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Promise Pilot will send monthly payments of $500 to 3,250 residents for two years.

“We’re proud to announce that the Promise Pilot has officially reached full enrollment,” said President Preckwinkle. “Our participant cohort reflects the diversity of Cook County, and we trust that participants will use this assistance to build a financial foundation for themselves and their families.”

The $42 million pilot is the largest publicly-funded guaranteed income program in American history, and received over 233,000 applications during the open application period between October 6 and October 21. President Preckwinkle and County leadership have committed to continuing to develop future iterations of the program after the completion of the pilot.

Payments first began in December 2022 and are provided via debit card or direct transfer to participant bank accounts. More than 90% of participants were enrolled by December 15. In January, the final participants were pulled from a waitlist to fill gaps left by chosen applicants who declined to participate once selected or failed to respond to the invitation to enroll within the initial designated timeframe. If participants are having issues with their payments, they should contact customer service at (844) 427-5456 or support@cookcountypromise.zendesk.com.  

Participants are represented by all 17 Cook County Commissioner Districts in both the City of Chicago and suburban Cook County. Analysis of the participant characteristics and demographics of the pilot highlights:

• Median age is 40 years old
• Percentage of households that include children is 58%
• Median annual household income is $21,000
• Gender demographics:
  • 71% women
  • 28% men
  • .5% other
• Racial demographics:
  • 51% Black/African American
  • 29% White
  • 5% Asian American or Pacific Islander
  • 2% Native American or Alaska Native
  • 12% Other Race or Multiracial
• Ethnicity demographics:
  • 24% Latine
  • 76% Not Latine
• Regional demographics:
  • 83% suburban Cook County
  • 15% City of Chicago
  • 2% no address
• Employment status:
  • 56% are working
• Health and disability status:
  • 31% have delayed medical care in the last year due to cost
  • 15% have a disability
• Housing stability status:
  • 7% are unstably housed

For more information about the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot please visit www.engagecookcounty.com/promise.