Chicago/Compare
Edgewater vs Uptown
Edgewater and Uptown are two official community areas in Chicago. Edgewater is the calmer Part I map (79 vs 47). Uptown wins the errand count. Uptown has the lower ACS median ($1,326).
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 | Uptown |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 79 | 47 |
| Schools | 57 | 33 |
| Walk | 6 | 17 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 6 | 14 |
| Median rent | $1,417 | $1,326 |
| Median home | $353,190 | $331,132 |
| Population | 56,563 | 56,344 |
| Commute to The Loop | 44 min | 37 min |
| Commute to North Side | 29 min | 22 min |
| Commute to West Loop | 55 min | 49 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Edgewater | Uptown |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 63% | 71% |
| Median age | 39.2 | 37.4 |
| Median income | $74K | $74K |
| Part I per 1k | 22.0 | 33.6 |
| Groceries / 800m | 21 | 24 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 130 | 185 |
| Parks / 800m | 70 | 188 |
| 311 last 14 days | 267 | 352 |
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. Uptown is 8% 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 quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 79 vs 47. Schools score 57 vs 33. Edgewater is tagged family on this map; Uptown is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Uptown if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 17 vs 6. Vibe is 14 vs 6. 37 vs 44 minutes to The Loop. 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
Uptown
Argyle, the Uptown Theatre, and a lakefront that never quite gentrified all the way. Density without Lake View prices.
$1,326 median rent · safety 47 · walk 17
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Edgewater or Uptown?
Uptown is the lower ACS median: $1,417 vs $1,326. About 71% rent in Uptown vs 63% in Edgewater. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Edgewater more walkable than Uptown?
Uptown wins the errand count (walk 6 vs 17). Groceries inside 800 meters: 21 vs 24. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Edgewater or Uptown?
Edgewater is the calmer Part I read (79 vs 47). Combined rate 22.0 vs 33.6 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Edgewater or Uptown?
Edgewater leads the school axis (57 vs 33). Nearby rating is 7.5 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 39.2 vs 37.4. Uptown 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, 37 from Uptown. Uptown is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community area that is not Edgewater or Uptown: Rogers Park. The city's far-north beach and a mix of students, immigrants, and long leases. Quieter than Edgewater, cheaper than Lake View.
Scores are relative among official Chicago community areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.