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/Loop
75fit
Loop
Official community area: Loop
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Offices, Grant Park, and the L looping overhead. Walk scores max out; evening quiet depends on which block.
the loopdowntown chicago
Best in Chicago for familiesWalkable ChicagoUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
0
485 violent · 3639 property · 96.9 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)-50 vs city set
Schools
23
Rating 6.5 / 10 nearby-25 vs city set
Walk
100
OSM: 33 groceries · 88 cafes · 295 transit · 1284 parks+79 vs city set
Cost
90
$2,447 ACS median vs your rent budget-9 vs city set
Vibe
100
OSM: 88 cafes · 334 restaurants · 54 bars · 1284 parks+81 vs city set
Commute to work
From Loop, a typical weekday is 6 min to The Loop, 20 min to North Side, 37 min to West Loop. Not live traffic.
The Loop is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
The Loop
6 min
Offices, Grant Park · -31 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
North Side
20 min
Lincoln Park, hospitals · -16 min vs the city-set median
West Loop
37 min
Fulton Market · at 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 $2,447 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 25% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($118K) could “afford” about $2,953 a month at 30% of pay.
68% of households rent. Median home value is $460,482.
ACS median rent
$2,447
30% income budget
$2,953
Rent / income
25%
Median home
$460,482
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. Loop is 70% 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: 33 groceries, 88 cafes, 1284 parks, and 295 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 1284 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (295 stops or stations).
88 cafes and 334 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Chicago set.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 15 of the other 19 areas in this city.
Population
42,550
Median age
31.6
Median income
$118K
Renters
68%
Bachelor+
84%
Violent / 1k
11.4
Property / 1k
85.5
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 6 census tracts · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-08-31
NightlifePlanned
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.
Offices, Grant Park, Millennium Park, and the L looping overhead. Walk scores max out; evening quiet depends on which block, and many blocks empty after 7. Crime counts are visitor counts. This is a place to live if your life is the job and the lakefront path at lunch.
Groceries have improved with the residential conversions; they are still not a neighborhood bakery belt. Weekends can feel like a campus between conventions. Weight walk. Compare to Near South Side if you want newer towers and the museum campus, or to Near North if you want restaurants after dark.
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.
324 reports
- Divvy Bike Parking82
- Graffiti Removal81
- Pothole in Street32
- E-Scooter Parking31
- Finance Parking Code Enforcement Review31
- Dead Bird
- Inspect Public Way
- Buildings - Plumbing Violation
- Dead Bird
- Traffic Signal Out
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 and traffic.
- O'Hare to the Loop in 15 minutes? This company thinks it can finally bring fast rail to Chicago - Chicago Sun-Times
r/chicago · Aug 25 · 539 upvotes · 202 comments
- Time to Chicago Loop using public transit on a weekday
r/chicago · Aug 26 · 19 upvotes · 1 comment
- Is there a known AT&T outage downtown Chicago around clark and lake?
r/chicago · Aug 31 · 1 upvote · 1 comment
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 Loop safe?
Loop shows more Part I than most of this Chicago set (safety 0 vs city 50). CPD logged 11.4 violent and 85.5 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 96.9 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Loop?
ACS median rent is $2,447 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 68% of households rent. Median home value is $460,482. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Loop walkable?
Walk is 100 here vs 21 for the Chicago set — a grocery run and a coffee on foot are realistic. Inside 800 meters: 33 groceries, 88 cafes, 295 transit stops, 1284 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is Loop good for families?
There is more night and visitor traffic in the mix — not the quietest family default. Nearby school rating is 6.5 / 10. Median age is 31.6. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from Loop?
6 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 Loop?
About 42,550 people. Median income $118K. 84% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to Loop?
Near South Side, Near North Side, Hyde Park sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official community areas, start with Loop vs Near South Side.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
Loop vs Near South SideLoop vs Near North SideLoop vs Hyde Park
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
Near South Side
$2K median rent
South Loop towers facing the museum campus. Newer, rental-heavy, and a walk to the lake that skips Mag Mile.
WaterfrontPlannedWalk 21Safety 68
33fit
Hyde Park
$2K median rent
The university sets the tone: bookstores, the Point, and a lakefront that feels like another city.
WaterfrontFamily streetsWalk 5Safety 16
24fit
Douglas
$1K median rent
Bronzeville history on the official Douglas map. Boulevards, new builds, and a short ride to the Loop.
PlannedWalk 2Safety 11