Chicago/Compare
Avondale vs Lincoln Square
Avondale and Lincoln Square are two official community areas in Chicago. Lincoln Square is the calmer Part I map (84 vs 53). Walk is a wash (3 vs 5). Lincoln Square has the lower ACS median ($1,576).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official Chicago community areas.
| Axis | Avondale | Lincoln Square |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 53 | 84 |
| Schools | 40 | 80 |
| Walk | 3 | 5 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 2 | 4 |
| Median rent | $1,671 | $1,576 |
| Median home | $472,751 | $473,031 |
| Population | 35,533 | 41,651 |
| Commute to The Loop | 56 min | 51 min |
| Commute to North Side | 49 min | 38 min |
| Commute to West Loop | 36 min | 46 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Avondale | Lincoln Square |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 56% | 59% |
| Median age | 35.2 | 37.1 |
| Median income | $93K | $92K |
| Part I per 1k | 33.4 | 21.7 |
| Groceries / 800m | 27 | 14 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 118 | 143 |
| Parks / 800m | 32 | 60 |
| 311 last 14 days | 352 | 342 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. Avondl is 16% above the 2024 city median. Linc Sq is 9% 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. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Avondale if you want the cafes and the night. Vibe is 2 vs 4. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Lincoln Square if the school rating nearby is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Schools score 80 vs 40. Safety is 84 vs 53. Lincoln Square is tagged family on this map; Avondale is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Avondale
The next stop past Logan. Still industrial edges, still cheaper, still a Belmont bus.
$1,671 median rent · safety 53 · walk 3
Lincoln Square
Ravenswood porches and a German plaza. The family read of the North Side without giving up a Brown Line stop.
$1,576 median rent · safety 84 · walk 5
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Avondale or Lincoln Square?
Lincoln Square is the lower ACS median: $1,671 vs $1,576. About 59% rent in Lincoln Square vs 56% in Avondale. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Avondale more walkable than Lincoln Square?
Walk is basically a tie (3 vs 5). Count groceries if you care: 27 in Avondale vs 14 in Lincoln Square, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Avondale or Lincoln Square?
Lincoln Square is the calmer Part I read (84 vs 53). Combined rate 21.7 vs 33.4 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Avondale or Lincoln Square?
Lincoln Square leads the school axis (80 vs 40). Nearby rating is 8.2 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 37.1 vs 35.2. Avondale has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to The Loop?
56 minutes from Avondale to The Loop, 51 from Lincoln Square. Lincoln Square is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community area that is not Avondale or Lincoln Square: Irving Park. Bungalows, the Blue Line, and a calmer northwest. Less scene than Logan, more yard.
Scores are relative among official Chicago community areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.