Chicago, Illinois
Strongest category: Work (77/100). Category scores: cost and climate 65, work 77, daily life 62, community 72.
Chicago is an above-average housing-cost screen with moderate seasonal weather. Public benchmarks show ACS median gross rent at $1,310/mo and HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent at $1,714/mo; summer/winter markers are 84F/22F. The strongest screening signals are restaurant density and major airport access. Verify current listings, commute routes, neighborhood safety, and school boundaries before treating it as a fit.
Public-data relocation screen for Chicago
Walkability is a commute-derived estimate blended with public density data where available, not a third-party rating. ACS rent reflects existing renter stock; HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent is a separate public gross-rent benchmark. Food/nightlife use CBP establishment density, and the school signal blends ACS attainment with NCES public-school access. Coast, mountain, park, trail, ski, and beach distances are city-level GIS screening bands, not parcel-level access or travel-time measurements.
Cost, taxes, and climate
| ACS median gross rent | $1,310/mo | Census ACS existing-renter median gross rent |
|---|---|---|
| HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent | $1,714/mo | FY2026 benchmark for Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area |
| Median home value | $288,000 | ACS owner-occupied home value, rounded |
| Top state income tax | 5.0% | State top marginal wage/salary tax; local taxes excluded |
| Cost index | 7/10 | WhereToThrive relative cost score from public housing inputs |
Climate profile
| Summer high | 84°F | NOAA-derived summer temperature screen |
|---|---|---|
| Winter low | 22°F | NOAA-derived winter temperature screen |
| Sunshine | 4/10 | Higher means sunnier relative to other metros |
| Humidity | 2/3 | Broad humidity band |
| Natural disaster risk | 2/3 | Broad public-data screening band |
Work: jobs, commute, and access
| Industry strengths | Finance, Healthcare, Manufacturing | Project-maintained metro industry tags |
|---|---|---|
| Average commute | 33.8 min | ACS commute-time estimate |
| Airport access | Major airport hub | Practical travel signal |
| Work pillar score | 77/100 | WhereToThrive work-market screen |
Daily life: outdoors, food, and walkability
| Outdoor score | 5/10 | Formula/curated score with GIS recreation inputs |
|---|---|---|
| Food score | 9/10 | Blends CBP restaurant density and curated context |
| Nightlife score | 8/10 | Blends CBP drinking-place density and context |
| Walkability estimate | 44/100 | Commute-and-density proxy, not third-party Walk Score |
| Restaurants (CBP) | 17,823 | 186.3 per 100k residents |
| Park / trail access | 1 mi / 40 mi | Public GIS screening distances |
| Coast / beach access | 591 mi / N/A | Screening distance bands |
| Mountain / ski access | 242 mi / 23 mi | Screening distance bands |
Community: safety, schools, and culture
| Safety score | 53/100 | Violent crime 500 and property crime 2,125 per 100k where available |
|---|---|---|
| Public schools (NCES) | 8/10 | 2,659 public schools; 27.8 per 100k |
| Diversity score | 9/10 | ACS-derived metro diversity signal |
| Political lean | -0.3 | State/metro political context; negative is more Democratic-leaning |
| Community pillar score | 72/100 | Safety, school, and diversity blend |
Chicago FAQ
Is Chicago, IL affordable?
Chicago, IL has ACS median gross rent of $1,310/mo and HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,714/mo. Those are public benchmarks, not apartment-listing quotes.
What is the climate like in Chicago?
The climate screen shows a summer high around 84°F, winter low around 22°F, sunshine score 4/10, and disaster-risk band 2/3.
Is Chicago good for families?
The family screen combines school score 8/10, safety score 53/100, and 2,659 NCES public schools. It is a metro-level screen, not a school-district rating.
How should I use this Chicago data?
Use it as a first-pass relocation shortlist. WhereToThrive labels sources, dates, and proxy fields so you can compare cities quickly, then verify neighborhoods, employers, schools, and housing options locally.
Explore around Chicago
Nearest cities
- Racine, WI 59 mi away
- South Bend, IN 72 mi away
- Rockford, IL 80 mi away
- Milwaukee, WI 81 mi away
- Elkhart, IN 86 mi away
Similar profiles
Comparisons
Data Sources
- Demographics and housing: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates City label: US Census ACS 2022 5-year
- HUD Fair Market Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents geospatial feature service City label: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents
- Climate: NOAA climate normals local pipeline City label: NOAA climate normals local pipeline
- Employment: BLS local employment pipeline City label: BLS local employment pipeline
- Commute and walkability: U.S. Census Bureau ACS commute tables City label: US Census ACS commute tables
- Safety: FBI Crime Data / UCR local aggregate City label: FBI Crime Data API local aggregate
- Political lean: County election aggregate City label: county election aggregate
- Location: Metro concordance and coordinate overrides City label: metro-concordance
- Geographic proximity: WhereToThrive GIS-derived geography reference City label: Natural Earth GIS-derived geography reference
- Outdoor recreation geography: WhereToThrive public outdoor recreation GIS metrics City label: USGS/USFS/NOAA public outdoor recreation GIS metrics
- Restaurant and nightlife access: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns metro file City label: Census County Business Patterns 2023 restaurant density
- Public school access: NCES EDGE public school locations City label: NCES EDGE 2024-25 public school locations
- State tax: Tax Foundation State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets City label: Tax Foundation 2026 state individual income tax table
- Editorial scoring: WhereToThrive editorial formulas and curated overrides City label: WhereToThrive editorial formulas and curated overrides
- Methodology: How scores and source labels are calculated
Field Quality
Source quality summary: 17 direct/curated | 5 formula/proxy. These labels explain whether key fields are direct, curated, formula-derived, proxy estimates, fallback estimates, or unavailable.
- Population: Direct public metric
- ACS median gross rent: Direct public metric
- HUD Fair Market Rent: Direct public metric
- Median home value: Direct public metric
- Climate: Curated public-data blend
- Employment: Curated public-data blend
- Average commute: Direct public metric
- Walkability: Formula-derived score
- Safety: Curated public-data blend
- Political lean: Curated public-data blend
- Coordinates: Curated public-data blend
- Geographic proximity: Formula-derived score
- Outdoor recreation: Formula-derived score
- State tax: Curated public-data blend
- Cost index: Formula-derived score
- Restaurant density: Direct public metric
- Food score: Curated public-data blend
- Nightlife score: Curated public-data blend
- Outdoor score: Curated public-data blend
- Diversity score: Direct public metric
- Public school access: Direct public metric
- School score: Formula-derived score
Compare Chicago against your own constraints
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