Chicago, Illinois
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Chicago.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Chicago compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 2,707,648City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $75,134Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 103ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)Near U.S. avg (100)U.S. 100
- Median home value
- $315,200City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($303,400)U.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,380City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($1,348)U.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 5.3%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 35 min40% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 7771% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 943.2annualized per 100k · citywide56% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2982.6annualized per 100k · citywideNear U.S. avg (3084.9)U.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 83°F4.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 22°F12.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 34.4 inNear U.S. avg (32.9 in)U.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2448% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Chicago with another city
Relocators eyeing Chicago, Illinois will find roughly 2,707,648 residents within city limits. Median household income is roughly $75,134, while the ACS housing-cost index sits near 103 — close to the national housing-cost baseline (100 ≈ U.S. average). Budget for median rents around $1,380 a month before you lock a neighborhood.
Loop draws the first wave of relocators; Lincoln Park and Wicker Park tend to show up once people trade vibe for school or parking tradeoffs. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Chicago with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Great Lakes winters and a dense rail/road grid define regional mobility. The normals show about 34.4 inches of rain and 244 sunny days across a typical year. Plan on roughly 35 minutes each way for a typical commute; Walk Score is about 77. Unemployment recently ran near 5.3%, broadly in line with many large U.S. counties. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~943.2 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Neighborhoods often researched
- Loop
- Lincoln Park
- Wicker Park
- Hyde Park
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Chicago city, 1600000US1714000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN170310000000003 (Cook County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00014819 CHICAGO MIDWAY AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28