59fit
Near West Side
$2K median rent
Fulton Market restaurants, United Center nights, and new towers. Property crime follows the dinner rush.
NightlifePlannedWalk 65Safety 5
Chicago/Lower West Side
31fit
Lower West Side
Official community area: Lower West Side
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Pilsen murals and 18th Street. The official name is Lower West Side; everyone searches Pilsen.
pilsenheart of chicago
Best in Chicago for familiesWalkable ChicagoUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
37
235 violent · 1041 property · 38.1 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)-13 vs city set
Schools
23
Rating 6.5 / 10 nearby-25 vs city set
Walk
7
OSM: 19 groceries · 17 cafes · 169 transit · 59 parks-14 vs city set
Cost
100
$1,370 ACS median vs your rent budget+1 vs city set
Vibe
4
OSM: 17 cafes · 71 restaurants · 17 bars · 59 parks-15 vs city set
Commute to work
From Lower West Side, a typical weekday is 47 min to The Loop, 54 min to North Side, 20 min to West Loop. Not live traffic.
West Loop is the fastest of these three job centers from here.
The Loop
47 min
Offices, Grant Park · +10 min vs the city-set median
North Side
54 min
Lincoln Park, hospitals · +18 min vs the city-set median
West Loop
20 min
Fulton Market · -17 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
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 $1,370 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 21% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($77K) could “afford” about $1,931 a month at 30% of pay.
68% of households rent. Median home value is $359,114.
ACS median rent
$1,370
30% income budget
$1,931
Rent / income
21%
Median home
$359,114
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. Lower West Side is 5% 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. 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: 19 groceries, 17 cafes, 59 parks, and 169 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 59 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (169 stops or stations).
17 cafes and 71 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Chicago set.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 8 of the other 19 areas in this city.
Population
33,446
Median age
34.7
Median income
$77K
Renters
68%
Bachelor+
42%
Violent / 1k
7.0
Property / 1k
31.1
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 11 census tracts · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-08-31
Nightlife
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.
The official name is Lower West Side; everyone searches Pilsen. 18th Street murals, Mexican restaurants that were not invented for a guidebook, and a housing stock of brick two-flats under pressure. University of Chicago’s neighborhood notes still call out the art and the music because they are the street, not a district overlay.
Gentrification is the local argument, not a headline from elsewhere. Tour 18th, then the residential streets south of it. Weight vibe and cost. The Pink Line is the commute. Safety is blockwise — do not flatten it to a community-area average and stop thinking.
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.
380 reports
- Graffiti Removal148
- Rodent Baiting/Rat44
- Inspect Public Way39
- Finance Parking Code Enforcement Review38
- Abandoned Vehicle36
- Graffiti Removal
- Inspect Public Way
- Graffiti Removal
- Graffiti Removal
- Garbage Cart Maintenance
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: a few posts that name Lower West Side.
- Pilsen Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez Doubles Down On Feud With Gov. JB Pritzker - “We’re gonna find you. We’re gonna find you in Springfield or anywhere. We’re gonna find you, govern
r/chicago · Aug 5 · 132 upvotes · 143 comments
- Is Pilsen The 'Brooklyn Of Chicago'? Travel Guide Makes Comparison, But Residents Aren't Convinced
r/chicago · Aug 27 · 21 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 Lower West Side safe?
Lower West Side shows more Part I than most of this Chicago set (safety 37 vs city 50). CPD logged 7.0 violent and 31.1 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 38.1 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Lower West Side?
ACS median rent is $1,370 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 68% of households rent. Median home value is $359,114. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Lower West Side walkable?
Walk is 7 here vs 21 for the Chicago set — you will likely drive or ride for a weekly shop. Inside 800 meters: 19 groceries, 17 cafes, 169 transit stops, 59 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is Lower West Side 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 34.7. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from Lower West Side?
47 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 Lower West Side?
About 33,446 people. Median income $77K. 42% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to Lower West Side?
Near West Side, Bridgeport, Douglas sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official community areas, start with Lower West Side vs Near West Side.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
Lower West Side vs Near West SideLower West Side vs BridgeportLower West Side vs Douglas
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
38fit
Bridgeport
$1K median rent
Sox territory, bungalows, and a Chinatown-adjacent grid. South Side without a lakefront premium.
Family streetsWalk 0Safety 89
26fit
Humboldt Park
$1K median rent
The park is enormous; the streets around it are still working-class. Safety scores tell you to weight it honestly.
Walk 4Safety 32
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