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/Near North Side
66fit
Near North Side
Official community area: Near North Side
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
River North restaurants, Gold Coast towers, Streeterville walks to the lake. Official name is the community area — search the nicknames.
river northgold coaststreetervillemag milenear north
Best in Chicago for familiesWalkable ChicagoUnder $2,500 rent
Why this score
Safety
21
580 violent · 5008 property · 55.6 per 1k (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)-29 vs city set
Schools
40
Rating 7.0 / 10 nearby-8 vs city set
Walk
72
OSM: 35 groceries · 109 cafes · 318 transit · 748 parks+51 vs city set
Cost
97
$2,277 ACS median vs your rent budget-2 vs city set
Vibe
70
OSM: 109 cafes · 398 restaurants · 123 bars · 748 parks+51 vs city set
Commute to work
From Near North Side, a typical weekday is 12 min to The Loop, 13 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
12 min
Offices, Grant Park · -25 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three
North Side
13 min
Lincoln Park, hospitals · -23 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 $2,277 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.
That is 23% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($121K) could “afford” about $3,031 a month at 30% of pay.
64% of households rent. Median home value is $554,887.
ACS median rent
$2,277
30% income budget
$3,031
Rent / income
23%
Median home
$554,887
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. Near North Side is 58% 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: 35 groceries, 109 cafes, 748 parks, and 318 transit stops.
Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 748 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (318 stops or stations).
109 cafes and 398 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Chicago set.
OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 17 of the other 19 areas in this city.
Population
100,633
Median age
36.2
Median income
$121K
Renters
64%
Bachelor+
86%
Violent / 1k
5.8
Property / 1k
49.8
ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 19 census tracts · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM 2026-08-31
NightlifeWaterfrontPlanned
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 community area holds River North restaurants, Gold Coast towers, and Streeterville walks to the lake. Search the nicknames; they are not separate polygons here. Zillow’s River North notes galleries, the Riverwalk, and the Red Line at Grand — urban convenience with visitor traffic in the crime file.
A Gold Coast walk-up and a River North loft are different products that share a score. Tour at night. Weight walk and vibe. Safety numbers are downtown numbers. Magnificent Mile is an amenity or a crowd, depending on which tower you picked.
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.
1,043 reports
- Divvy Bike Parking528
- Graffiti Removal247
- E-Scooter Parking85
- Finance Parking Code Enforcement Review40
- Inspect Public Way40
- Clean Vacant Lot
- Weed Removal
- Weed Removal
- Building Violation
- Pothole in Street
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.
- First time walking around Gold Coast.
r/chicago · Jul 31 · 445 upvotes · 35 comments
- Are there any founders/entrepreneurs in content creation/media/IRL events living in West Loop/Wicker Park/Bucktown/River North/River West or other nearby neighborhoods?
r/chicago · Aug 28 · 2 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 Near North Side safe?
Near North Side shows more Part I than most of this Chicago set (safety 21 vs city 50). CPD logged 5.8 violent and 49.8 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 55.6 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.
What is rent in Near North Side?
ACS median rent is $2,277 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 64% of households rent. Median home value is $554,887. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Near North Side walkable?
Walk is 72 here vs 21 for the Chicago set — a grocery run and a coffee on foot are realistic. Inside 800 meters: 35 groceries, 109 cafes, 318 transit stops, 748 parks. Not a Walk Score license.
Is Near North Side good for families?
There is more night and visitor traffic in the mix — not the quietest family default. Nearby school rating is 7.0 / 10. Median age is 36.2. That rating is not your assigned campus.
How long is the commute from Near North Side?
12 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 Near North Side?
About 100,633 people. Median income $121K. 86% have a bachelor's or higher.
What neighborhoods are next to Near North Side?
Loop, Lincoln Park, Near South Side sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official community areas, start with Near North Side vs Loop.
Next door
Adjacent on the map, ranked with your weights.
Near North Side vs LoopNear North Side vs Lincoln ParkNear North Side vs Near South Side
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
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
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
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