48fit
Lake View
$2K median rent
Wrigley, Broadway, and the lakefront path. Nightlife is the tax; the Red Line is the amenity.
NightlifeWaterfrontWalk 21Safety 63
Chicago/Edgewater
41fit
Edgewater
Official community area: Edgewater
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Andersonville's Clark Street sits inside this community area. Beach to the east, bakeries to the west.
andersonvilleandersenville
Best in Chicago for familiesWalkable ChicagoUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
79
185 violent · 1055 property · 22.0 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)+29 vs city set
Schools
57
Rating 7.5 / 10 nearby+9 vs city set
Walk
6
OSM: 21 groceries · 25 cafes · 130 transit · 70 parks-15 vs city set
Cost
100
$1,417 ACS median vs your rent budget+1 vs city set
Vibe
6
OSM: 25 cafes · 91 restaurants · 21 bars · 70 parks-13 vs city set
Commute to work
From Edgewater, a typical weekday is 44 min to The Loop, 29 min to North Side, 55 min to West Loop. Not live traffic.
North Side is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
The Loop
44 min
Offices, Grant Park · +7 min vs the city-set median
North Side
29 min
Lincoln Park, hospitals · -7 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
West Loop
55 min
Fulton Market · +18 min vs the city-set median
Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.
Cost of living
The ACS median rent is $1,417 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 23% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($74K) could “afford” about $1,862 a month at 30% of pay.
63% of households rent. Median home value is $353,190.
ACS median rent
$1,417
30% income budget
$1,862
Rent / income
23%
Median home
$353,190
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. Edgewater is 2% below 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 income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed. Method.
Within a walk
Within a short walk of this official community area: 21 groceries, 25 cafes, 70 parks, and 130 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 70 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (130 stops or stations).
25 cafes and 91 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Chicago set.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 10 of the other 19 areas in this city.
Population
56,563
Median age
39.2
Median income
$74K
Renters
63%
Bachelor+
62%
Violent / 1k
3.3
Property / 1k
18.7
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 17 census tracts · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-08-31
WaterfrontFamily streets
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.
Edgewater holds Andersonville’s Clark Street inside a lakefront community area: bakeries to the west, beach to the east. It is the North Side compromise — queer-friendly commercial life, reasonably priced apartments, and a walk to the water that Lake View charges more for.
The high-rises on Sheridan are a different neighborhood from the bungalows west of Broadway. Tour both. Red Line access is real; downtown is still a commute. Weight walk and vibe. Safety is finer-grained than the community-area number.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, Seattle Times coverage, Boston planning-neighborhood writing, and local writing, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.
Reported here lately
City 311 service requests in this official unit, last 14 days. This is what neighbors filed with the city — not a chat thread, and not part of the fit score.
267 reports
- Graffiti Removal62
- Tree Trim37
- Yard Waste Pick-Up35
- Rodent Baiting/Rat29
- Tree Emergency28
- Sewer Cleaning Inspection
- Tree Debris Clean-Up
- No Building Permit and Construction Violation
- Traffic Signal Out
- Sanitation Code Violation
City of Chicago 311, last 14 days, by official community area number. Method.
On Reddit
Public posts from r/chicago that mention this neighborhood. Not Nextdoor, not people on this block, and not part of the fit score.
In r/chicago lately: pets.
- My cat and I listening to the tornado warning in Edgewater
r/chicago · Aug 11 · 168 upvotes · 40 comments
- Residents protest proposed lakefront development in Edgewater
r/chicago · Aug 31 · 98 upvotes · 74 comments
- Eclipse From Edgewater
r/chicago · Aug 28 · 159 upvotes · 3 comments
The line above is a reading of the titles, not a verdict. Up to 3 links, last 90 days, snapshot 2026-09-01. Method.
Common questions
Straight answers from the numbers on this page.
Is Edgewater safe?
Edgewater sits on the quieter side of this Chicago map (safety 79 vs city 50). CPD logged 3.3 violent and 18.7 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 22.0 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Edgewater?
ACS median rent is $1,417 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 63% of households rent. Median home value is $353,190. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Edgewater walkable?
Walk is 6 here vs 21 for the Chicago set — you will likely drive or ride for a weekly shop. Inside 800 meters: 21 groceries, 25 cafes, 130 transit stops, 70 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is Edgewater good for families?
The scores lean family relative to this city set. Nearby school rating is 7.5 / 10. Median age is 39.2. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from Edgewater?
44 typical weekday minutes to The Loop. Not the app on your phone this hour. Other job centers are further down this page.
How many people live in Edgewater?
About 56,563 people. Median income $74K. 62% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to Edgewater?
Uptown, Rogers Park, Lake View sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official community areas, start with Edgewater vs Uptown.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
Edgewater vs UptownEdgewater vs Rogers ParkEdgewater vs Lake View
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
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
39fit
Uptown
$1K median rent
Argyle, the Uptown Theatre, and a lakefront that never quite gentrified all the way. Density without Lake View prices.
WaterfrontWalk 17Safety 47
37fit
Rogers Park
$1K median rent
The city's far-north beach and a mix of students, immigrants, and long leases. Quieter than Edgewater, cheaper than Lake View.
WaterfrontWalk 5Safety 74