75fit
Loop
$2K median rent
Offices, Grant Park, and the L looping overhead. Walk scores max out; evening quiet depends on which block.
NightlifePlannedWalk 100Safety 0
Chicago/Lincoln Park
52fit
Lincoln Park
Official community area: Lincoln Park
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Zoo, zoo-adjacent rents, and DePaul. The park is the brand; the side streets are the product.
depaulold town
Best in Chicago for familiesWalkable ChicagoUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
58
156 violent · 2073 property · 32.8 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)+8 vs city set
Schools
100
Rating 8.8 / 10 nearby+52 vs city set
Walk
25
OSM: 24 groceries · 40 cafes · 176 transit · 272 parks+4 vs city set
Cost
100
$2,128 ACS median vs your rent budget+1 vs city set
Vibe
25
OSM: 40 cafes · 202 restaurants · 66 bars · 272 parks+6 vs city set
Commute to work
From Lincoln Park, a typical weekday is 20 min to The Loop, 6 min to North Side, 40 min to West Loop. Not live traffic.
North Side is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
The Loop
20 min
Offices, Grant Park · -17 min vs the city-set median
North Side
6 min
Lincoln Park, hospitals · -30 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
West Loop
40 min
Fulton Market · +3 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 $2,128 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 17% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($149K) could “afford” about $3,724 a month at 30% of pay.
55% of households rent. Median home value is $724,714.
ACS median rent
$2,128
30% income budget
$3,724
Rent / income
17%
Median home
$724,714
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. Lincoln Park is 48% 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: 24 groceries, 40 cafes, 272 parks, and 176 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 272 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (176 stops or stations).
40 cafes and 202 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Chicago set.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 12 of the other 19 areas in this city.
Population
67,987
Median age
31.9
Median income
$149K
Renters
55%
Bachelor+
87%
Violent / 1k
2.3
Property / 1k
30.5
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 20 census tracts · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-08-31
Family streetsWaterfrontNightlife
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.
Lincoln Park is the zoo, the conservatory, DePaul, and side streets of greystones that Zillow files as luxury. Armitage shops, North Avenue Beach, highly rated schools. It typically edges Logan Square for families who want the lake and a stable school story — and the prices say so.
The park is the brand; the side streets are the product. Nightlife exists (especially near DePaul) without being the neighborhood’s job. Weight schools, safety, and the lake. If the bid is too high, Lake View is the adjacent compromise and Logan is the inland one.
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.
1,288 reports
- Divvy Bike Parking482
- E-Scooter Parking395
- Graffiti Removal178
- Rodent Baiting/Rat70
- Tree Trim52
- Inspect Public Way
- Garbage Cart Maintenance
- Tree Debris Clean-Up
- Traffic Signal Out
- Weed Removal
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: parks, schools, and lost-and-found.
- Dropped my kid off at college this week, enjoyed the Lincoln Park and Downtown Chicago experience, thought I'd share some of the pics I took along the way
r/chicago · Aug 21 · 231 upvotes · 31 comments
- DePaul Blue Demo(ns)
r/chicago · Aug 18 · 136 upvotes · 83 comments
- Happy 100th anniversary to spooning legalization in Lincoln Park!
r/chicago · Aug 15 · 110 upvotes · 9 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 Lincoln Park safe?
Lincoln Park is middle of the pack for Part I here (safety 58 vs city 50). CPD logged 2.3 violent and 30.5 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 32.8 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Lincoln Park?
ACS median rent is $2,128 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 55% of households rent. Median home value is $724,714. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Lincoln Park walkable?
Walk is 25 here vs 21 for the Chicago set — you will likely drive or ride for a weekly shop. Inside 800 meters: 24 groceries, 40 cafes, 176 transit stops, 272 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is Lincoln Park good for families?
The scores lean family relative to this city set. Nearby school rating is 8.8 / 10. Median age is 31.9. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from Lincoln Park?
20 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 Lincoln Park?
About 67,987 people. Median income $149K. 87% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to Lincoln Park?
Near North Side, Lake View, Loop sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official community areas, start with Lincoln Park vs Near North Side.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
Lincoln Park vs Near North SideLincoln Park vs Lake ViewLincoln Park vs Loop
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
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
44fit
West Town
$2K median rent
Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village live inside this community area. Division Street energy, brick two-flats behind it.
NightlifePlannedWalk 29Safety 26
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