66fit
Near North Side
$2K median rent
River North restaurants, Gold Coast towers, Streeterville walks to the lake. Official name is the community area — search the nicknames.
NightlifeWaterfrontPlannedWalk 72Safety 21
Chicago/Lake View
48fit
Lake View
Official community area: Lake View
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Wrigley, Broadway, and the lakefront path. Nightlife is the tax; the Red Line is the amenity.
lakeviewwrigleyvilleboystowneast lakeview
Best in Chicago for familiesWalkable ChicagoUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
63
301 violent · 2920 property · 31.3 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)+13 vs city set
Schools
73
Rating 8.0 / 10 nearby+25 vs city set
Walk
21
OSM: 31 groceries · 53 cafes · 246 transit · 91 parks0 vs city set
Cost
100
$1,879 ACS median vs your rent budget+1 vs city set
Vibe
17
OSM: 53 cafes · 250 restaurants · 108 bars · 91 parks-2 vs city set
Commute to work
From Lake View, a typical weekday is 29 min to The Loop, 14 min to North Side, 44 min to West Loop. Not live traffic.
North Side is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
The Loop
29 min
Offices, Grant Park · -8 min vs the city-set median
North Side
14 min
Lincoln Park, hospitals · -22 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
West Loop
44 min
Fulton Market · +7 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 $1,879 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 20% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($114K) could “afford” about $2,848 a month at 30% of pay.
63% of households rent. Median home value is $522,707.
ACS median rent
$1,879
30% income budget
$2,848
Rent / income
20%
Median home
$522,707
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. Lake View is 30% 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. 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: 31 groceries, 53 cafes, 91 parks, and 246 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 91 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (246 stops or stations).
53 cafes and 250 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Chicago set.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 14 of the other 19 areas in this city.
Population
102,827
Median age
32.7
Median income
$114K
Renters
63%
Bachelor+
83%
Violent / 1k
2.9
Property / 1k
28.4
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 34 census tracts · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-08-31
NightlifeWaterfront
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.
Lake View is Wrigley, Broadway, Northalsted, and the lakefront path. Zillow’s 2025 guide still treats it as the lively lakeside default: game-day tax, LGBTQ+ commercial life, an 18-mile trail at the eastern wall. Typical home values sit under Lincoln Park, which is the whole comparison.
Wrigleyville in October is not the rest of Lake View. The blocks toward the lake and toward Southport do different jobs. Weight nightlife and walk. Down-weight quiet. The Red Line is why people stay after they stop going to games.
Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, Seattle Times coverage, 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.
540 reports
- Graffiti Removal178
- Rodent Baiting/Rat122
- Finance Parking Code Enforcement Review43
- Water Lead Test Kit40
- Pothole in Street40
- Graffiti Removal
- Missed Garbage Pick-Up
- Blue Recycling Cart
- Garbage Cart Maintenance
- 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: housing and visitors.
- Wrigleyville. Moving weekend. This Tesla has been parked here for hours. Multiple 911 calls made.
r/chicago · Aug 2 · 2118 upvotes · 511 comments
- Ann Sather Taking Over Stella's Diner In Lakeview
r/chicago · Aug 3 · 196 upvotes · 75 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 Lake View safe?
Lake View is middle of the pack for Part I here (safety 63 vs city 50). CPD logged 2.9 violent and 28.4 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 31.3 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Lake View?
ACS median rent is $1,879 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 63% of households rent. Median home value is $522,707. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Lake View walkable?
Walk is 21 here vs 21 for the Chicago set — you will likely drive or ride for a weekly shop. Inside 800 meters: 31 groceries, 53 cafes, 246 transit stops, 91 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is Lake View good for families?
The scores lean family relative to this city set. Nearby school rating is 8.0 / 10. Median age is 32.7. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from Lake View?
29 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 Lake View?
About 102,827 people. Median income $114K. 83% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to Lake View?
Uptown, Lincoln Park, Edgewater sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official community areas, start with Lake View vs Uptown.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
Lake View vs UptownLake View vs Lincoln ParkLake View vs Edgewater
52fit
Lincoln Park
$2K median rent
Zoo, zoo-adjacent rents, and DePaul. The park is the brand; the side streets are the product.
Family streetsWaterfrontNightlifeWalk 25Safety 58
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
41fit
Edgewater
$1K median rent
Andersonville's Clark Street sits inside this community area. Beach to the east, bakeries to the west.
WaterfrontFamily streetsWalk 6Safety 79
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