For most of its history, Matteson's population was majority white. However, by the 2000s, the village became majority African-American. The director of Chicago Metropolis 2020, Carol Sonnenschein, stated that the desire for higher quality neighborhoods and public schools drove the black influx into Matteson. In 1980, 8,288 residents were white, comprising 84% of the village's population, while 12% of village residents were black. By 1990, Matteson, with a total of 11,400 residents, had 5,687 white residents, making up 53% of the village, a percentage decline of 31% in a ten-year span; 44% of the total number of residents in Matteson were black. By 1995 48% of the residents were black and 45% were white. In 2000, 62.33% of residents were black. In 2010, 78.72% of the residents were black and 16.3% of the residents were white.