Chicago/Compare
Edgewater vs Irving Park
Edgewater and Irving Park are two official community areas in Chicago. Irving Park is the calmer Part I map (95 vs 79). Edgewater wins the errand count. Irving Park has the lower ACS median ($1,406).
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 | Edgewater | Irving Park |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 79 | 95 |
| Schools | 57 | 50 |
| Walk | 6 | 0 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 6 | 0 |
| Median rent | $1,417 | $1,406 |
| Median home | $353,190 | $481,485 |
| Population | 56,563 | 53,332 |
| Commute to The Loop | 44 min | 63 min |
| Commute to North Side | 29 min | 53 min |
| Commute to West Loop | 55 min | 46 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Edgewater | Irving Park |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 63% | 49% |
| Median age | 39.2 | 37 |
| Median income | $74K | $93K |
| Part I per 1k | 22.0 | 17.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 21 | 15 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 130 | 122 |
| Parks / 800m | 70 | 26 |
| 311 last 14 days | 267 | 379 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. Edge is 2% below the 2024 city median. Irving 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. 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 Edgewater if the shorter ride to The Loop is the point. 44 vs 63 minutes to The Loop. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Irving Park if the quieter map matters more than the scene. Safety is 95 vs 79. Read both pages before you decide.
Edgewater
Andersonville's Clark Street sits inside this community area. Beach to the east, bakeries to the west.
$1,417 median rent · safety 79 · walk 6
Irving Park
Bungalows, the Blue Line, and a calmer northwest. Less scene than Logan, more yard.
$1,406 median rent · safety 95 · walk 0
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Edgewater or Irving Park?
Irving Park is the lower ACS median: $1,417 vs $1,406. About 49% rent in Irving Park vs 63% in Edgewater. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Edgewater more walkable than Irving Park?
Edgewater wins the errand count (walk 6 vs 0). Groceries inside 800 meters: 21 vs 15. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Edgewater or Irving Park?
Irving Park is the calmer Part I read (95 vs 79). Combined rate 17.8 vs 22.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Edgewater or Irving Park?
Edgewater leads the school axis (57 vs 50). Nearby rating is 7.5 / 10 vs 7.3 / 10. Median age 39.2 vs 37. Irving Park has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to The Loop?
44 minutes from Edgewater to The Loop, 63 from Irving Park. Edgewater is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community area that is not Edgewater or Irving Park: Lincoln Square. Ravenswood porches and a German plaza. The family read of the North Side without giving up a Brown Line stop.
Scores are relative among official Chicago community areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.