Chicago/Compare
North Center vs Rogers Park
North Center and Rogers Park are two official community areas in Chicago. North Center is the calmer Part I map (100 vs 74). Walk is a wash (3 vs 5). Rogers Park has the lower ACS median ($1,351).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · CPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Aug 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official Chicago community areas.
| Axis | North Center | Rogers Park |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 100 | 74 |
| Schools | 90 | 33 |
| Walk | 3 | 5 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 4 | 4 |
| Median rent | $1,847 | $1,351 |
| Median home | $733,385 | $287,084 |
| Population | 36,014 | 49,628 |
| Commute to The Loop | 42 min | 52 min |
| Commute to North Side | 31 min | 36 min |
| Commute to West Loop | 36 min | 61 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | North Center | Rogers Park |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 43% | 71% |
| Median age | 36 | 37.8 |
| Median income | $147K | $64K |
| Part I per 1k | 17.7 | 27.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 19 | 21 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 121 | 123 |
| Parks / 800m | 48 | 77 |
| 311 last 14 days | 301 | 291 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Chicago city. Up 50% since 2014. N Ctr is 28% above the 2024 city median. Rogers is 6% 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. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick North Center if the school rating nearby is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Schools score 90 vs 33. Safety is 100 vs 74. Vibe is 4 vs 4. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Rogers Park if the rent gap is the point. ACS median rent is $1,351 vs $1,847. Read both pages before you decide.
North Center
Roscoe Village strollers and high home values. Quiet streets with a short hop to the river.
$1,847 median rent · safety 100 · walk 3
Rogers Park
The city's far-north beach and a mix of students, immigrants, and long leases. Quieter than Edgewater, cheaper than Lake View.
$1,351 median rent · safety 74 · walk 5
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, North Center or Rogers Park?
Rogers Park is the lower ACS median: $1,847 vs $1,351. About 71% rent in Rogers Park vs 43% in North Center. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is North Center more walkable than Rogers Park?
Walk is basically a tie (3 vs 5). Count groceries if you care: 19 in North Center vs 21 in Rogers Park, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, North Center or Rogers Park?
North Center is the calmer Part I read (100 vs 74). Combined rate 17.7 vs 27.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, North Center or Rogers Park?
North Center leads the school axis (90 vs 33). Nearby rating is 8.5 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 36 vs 37.8. Rogers Park has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to The Loop?
42 minutes from North Center to The Loop, 52 from Rogers Park. North Center is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community area that is not North Center or Rogers Park: Lincoln Square. Ravenswood porches and a German plaza. The family read of the North Side without giving up a Brown Line stop.
Scores are relative among official Chicago community areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.