Dolton is a village in 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. Its most common ZIP code is 60419. Dolton 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 4.69 sqmi, of which 4.57 sqmi (or 97.50%) is land and 0.12 sqmi (or 2.50%) is water.

Surrounding areas

Education

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

Demographics

In the 2020 census there were 21,426 people, 7,985 households, and 5,361 families in the village. The population density was 4,570.39 PD/sqmi. There were 8,768 housing units at an average density of 1,870.31 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 90.69% African American, 3.25% White, 0.17% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.62% from other races, and 3.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.37% of the population. There were 7,985 households. 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 25.45% were married couples living together. 35.94% had a female householder with no husband present. 32.86% were non-families. 29.42% of all households were made up of individuals. 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.44. The average family size was 2.78. The village's age distribution consisted of 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 27% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males. 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.

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.

Allegations of misspending and harassment

In November 2023, WGN News published a two-part series of articles 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.

Mayors

Transportation

Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Dolton to destinations across the Southland. Metra’s planned SouthEast Service will have a station in Dolton. This corridor has not seen commuter service since 1935.

Notable people

William Shaw, Illinois state legislator, served as the first African-American mayor of Dolton. He was followed as mayor by Ronnie Lewis, who was the first African-American to serve as an official in the Dolton government. Nelsan Ellis, who played Lafayette Reynolds in True Blood and film critic Richard Roeper grew up in Dolton.