Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 42/100
D−
Median home value$334,100
Chicago $323,000
Median rent$1,440/mo
Chicago $1,430/mo
Cost-burdened households39%
Chicago 33%
Chicago
Cook County2,711,226 residentsChicago Public Schools Dist 299
54
C−
Suburbgrade score
47th of 60 Chicago suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by employment & income.
54
Chicago median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Chicago yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 54 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Chicago is like to live in, by category
Bars show Chicago against Chicago. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 52/100
D+
Within-state proficiency25th pct
Chicago median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio12.8
Chicago median 13.7
Graduation rate—
Chicago median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Housing cost index103
Chicago 100
Eff. tax rate1.45%
Chicago 1.83%
Local sales tax8.96%
Chicago median 8.96%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 44/100
D
Mean commute33.1 min
Chicago 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes43%
Chicago 51%
Transit stops / sq mi46
Chicago median 3.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 94/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés153
Chicago median 50 · within 2 miles
Groceries22
Chicago median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks132
Chicago median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 39/100
D−
Median household income$77,902
Chicago $90,887
Unemployment8.0%
Chicago 6.1%
Professional occupations49%
Chicago 45%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Chicago yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Chicago on employment & income
Chicago's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Highland Park25 mi from ChicagoB+ 71 B− Northbrook22 mi from ChicagoB 74 B Park Ridge15 mi from ChicagoB− 69 B− Elmhurst14 mi from ChicagoB− 70 B− Glenview19 mi from ChicagoB− 72 B− Arlington Heights24 mi from ChicagoB− 66 C+ Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Chicago
Is Chicago, IL a good place to live?
Chicago scores 54 out of 100, 47th of 60 Chicago suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Chicago expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $334,100, 3% above the Chicago median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.45%. $1,440/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Chicago?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Chicago sit at the 25th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 12.8 student–teacher ratio. Chicago is served by Chicago Public Schools Dist 299. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Chicago?
The mean commute is 33.1 min, with 43% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 21% working from home. Transit density is 46 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Chicago?
Within two miles there are 22 groceries, 153 restaurants and cafés and 132 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Chicago old or new?
The median home in Chicago was built in 1953 — older than the Chicago median of 1971. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 29% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.