Chicago/Compare
Edgewater vs Lincoln Square
Edgewater and Lincoln Square are two official community areas in Chicago. Lincoln Square is the calmer Part I map (84 vs 79). Walk is a wash (6 vs 5). Edgewater has the lower ACS median ($1,417).
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 | Lincoln Square |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 79 | 84 |
| Schools | 57 | 80 |
| Walk | 6 | 5 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 6 | 4 |
| Median rent | $1,417 | $1,576 |
| Median home | $353,190 | $473,031 |
| Population | 56,563 | 41,651 |
| Commute to The Loop | 44 min | 51 min |
| Commute to North Side | 29 min | 38 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 | Lincoln Square |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 63% | 59% |
| Median age | 39.2 | 37.1 |
| Median income | $74K | $92K |
| Part I per 1k | 22.0 | 21.7 |
| Groceries / 800m | 21 | 14 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 130 | 143 |
| Parks / 800m | 70 | 60 |
| 311 last 14 days | 267 | 342 |
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. 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 Edgewater if the shorter ride to The Loop is the point and the rent gap is the point. 44 vs 51 minutes to The Loop. ACS median rent is $1,417 vs $1,576. Vibe is 6 vs 4. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Lincoln Square if the school rating nearby is the point. Schools score 80 vs 57. 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
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, Edgewater or Lincoln Square?
Edgewater is the lower ACS median: $1,417 vs $1,576. About 63% rent in Edgewater vs 59% in Lincoln Square. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Edgewater more walkable than Lincoln Square?
Walk is basically a tie (6 vs 5). Count groceries if you care: 21 in Edgewater vs 14 in Lincoln Square, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Edgewater or Lincoln Square?
Lincoln Square is the calmer Part I read (84 vs 79). Combined rate 21.7 vs 22.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Edgewater or Lincoln Square?
Lincoln Square leads the school axis (80 vs 57). Nearby rating is 8.2 / 10 vs 7.5 / 10. Median age 37.1 vs 39.2. Edgewater 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, 51 from Lincoln Square. Edgewater is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community area that is not Edgewater or Lincoln Square: Uptown. Argyle, the Uptown Theatre, and a lakefront that never quite gentrified all the way. Density without Lake View prices.
Scores are relative among official Chicago community areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.