46fit
North Center
$2K median rent
Roscoe Village strollers and high home values. Quiet streets with a short hop to the river.
Family streetsWalk 3Safety 100
Chicago/Avondale
33fit
Avondale
Official community area: Avondale
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
The next stop past Logan. Still industrial edges, still cheaper, still a Belmont bus.
Best in Chicago for familiesWalkable ChicagoUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
53
124 violent · 1061 property · 33.4 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)+3 vs city set
Schools
40
Rating 7.0 / 10 nearby-8 vs city set
Walk
3
OSM: 27 groceries · 10 cafes · 118 transit · 32 parks-18 vs city set
Cost
100
$1,671 ACS median vs your rent budget+1 vs city set
Vibe
2
OSM: 10 cafes · 63 restaurants · 27 bars · 32 parks-17 vs city set
Commute to work
From Avondale, a typical weekday is 56 min to The Loop, 49 min to North Side, 36 min to West Loop. Not live traffic.
West Loop is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
The Loop
56 min
Offices, Grant Park · +19 min vs the city-set median
North Side
49 min
Lincoln Park, hospitals · +13 min vs the city-set median
West Loop
36 min
Fulton Market · -1 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.
Cost of living
ACS median gross rent is $1,671 across all occupied rental units — studios through large apartments mixed together, not a live 1-bed or 2-bed quote.
That is 22% of median household income — under the 30% HUD cost-burden line. A household at this area’s median income ($93K) could “afford” about $2,318 a month at 30% of gross pay.
56% of households rent. Median home value is $472,751.
ACS median rent
$1,671
30% income budget
$2,318
Rent / income
22%
Median home
$472,751
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. Avondale is 16% above the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. The dashed mark is this area’s ACS 2024 median.
HUD treats 30% of gross household income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS median rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed — that table is all occupied rental units. Method.
Within a walk
Inside the official community area or within 800 meters of its centroid, OpenStreetMap maps 27 groceries, 10 cafes, 32 parks, and 118 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 32 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (118 stops or stations).
10 cafes and 63 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Chicago set.
Counts from OpenStreetMap, 800 m. Not a Walk Score license. Groceries here beat 13 of 19 other areas in this city set.
Population
35,533
Median age
35.2
Median income
$93K
Renters
56%
Bachelor+
47%
Violent / 1k
3.5
Property / 1k
29.9
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 10 census tracts · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-08-31
Planned
Crime is CPD Part I reports per 1,000 ACS residents — not a judgment of who lives here. Home and rent figures are ACS medians, not live MLS. Read the method.
On the ground
What it is like to live here, beyond the scores.
Avondale is the next stop past Logan: still industrial edges, still cheaper, still a Belmont bus. Zillow notes Polish and Latin American dining on Milwaukee and a Blue Line connection — Chicago’s restaurant corridor without Logan’s farmers-market polish.
Housing is two-flats, bungalows, and newer low-rises. The scene is arriving, which is either exciting or a warning. Weight cost and walk. Logan Square is west-adjacent if you want the boulevard now.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, and local coverage, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.
Common questions
Answers from the same ACS, crime, and OSM figures on this page.
Is Avondale safe?
On this map Avondale sits near the middle of the Chicago set for crime (safety 53 vs city 50). CPD logged 3.5 violent and 29.9 property incidents per 1,000 ACS residents — 33.4 combined. Rates mix residents and visitors. They are not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Avondale?
ACS median rent is $1,671. Median home value is $472,751. About 56% of households rent. These are survey medians, not this week's listings.
Is Avondale walkable?
Walk scores 3 here vs 21 for the Chicago set — you will likely drive or ride for daily errands. OpenStreetMap counts within 800 meters: 27 groceries, 10 cafes, 118 transit stops, 32 parks.
Is Avondale good for families?
Nightlife and visitor traffic show up in the amenity mix — not the quietest family default. Nearby school rating is 7.0 / 10. Median age is 35.2.
How long is the commute from Avondale?
Typical weekday minutes to The Loop: 56. Not live traffic. Open the neighborhood page for the other job centers in Chicago.
How many people live in Avondale?
About 35,533 residents, median income $93K, 47% with a bachelor's or higher. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM.
What neighborhoods are next to Avondale?
Closest on this map: Irving Park, Logan Square, North Center. Compare Avondale vs Irving Park if you are deciding between two official community areas.
Next door
Adjacent on the community area map, ranked with your weights.
Avondale vs Irving ParkAvondale vs Logan SquareAvondale vs North Center
43fit
Lincoln Square
$2K median rent
Ravenswood porches and a German plaza. The family read of the North Side without giving up a Brown Line stop.
Family streetsWalk 5Safety 84
43fit
Logan Square
$2K median rent
The boulevard, the farmers market, and Bucktown on the eastern edge. North-west Chicago's walkable default.
NightlifePlannedWalk 22Safety 42
39fit
Irving Park
$1K median rent
Bungalows, the Blue Line, and a calmer northwest. Less scene than Logan, more yard.
Family streetsWalk 0Safety 95
26fit
Humboldt Park
$1K median rent
The park is enormous; the streets around it are still working-class. Safety scores tell you to weight it honestly.
Walk 4Safety 32