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
ACS median gross rent is $1,417 across all occupied rental units — studios through large apartments mixed together, not a live 1-bed or 2-bed quote.
That is 23% of median household income — under the 30% HUD cost-burden line. A household at this area’s median income ($74K) could “afford” about $1,862 a month at 30% of gross 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 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 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.
Counts from OpenStreetMap, 800 m. Not a Walk Score license. Groceries here beat 10 of 19 other areas in this city set.
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, 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 Edgewater safe?
On this map Edgewater is safer than most Chicago community areas in the set (safety 79 vs city 50). CPD logged 3.3 violent and 18.7 property incidents per 1,000 ACS residents — 22.0 combined. Rates mix residents and visitors. They are not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Edgewater?
ACS median rent is $1,417. Median home value is $353,190. About 63% of households rent. These are survey medians, not this week's listings.
Is Edgewater walkable?
Walk scores 6 here vs 21 for the Chicago set — you will likely drive or ride for daily errands. OpenStreetMap counts within 800 meters: 21 groceries, 25 cafes, 130 transit stops, 70 parks.
Is Edgewater good for families?
The scores lean family-friendly relative to this city set. Nearby school rating is 7.5 / 10. Median age is 39.2.
How long is the commute from Edgewater?
Typical weekday minutes to The Loop: 44. Not live traffic. Open the neighborhood page for the other job centers in Chicago.
How many people live in Edgewater?
About 56,563 residents, median income $74K, 62% with a bachelor's or higher. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM.
What neighborhoods are next to Edgewater?
Closest on this map: Uptown, Rogers Park, Lake View. Compare Edgewater vs Uptown if you are deciding between two official community areas.
Next door
Adjacent on the community area 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