Chicago/Compare
North Center vs West Town
North Center and West Town are two official community areas in Chicago. North Center is the calmer Part I map (100 vs 26). West Town wins the errand count. North Center has the lower ACS median ($1,847).
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 | West Town |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 100 | 26 |
| Schools | 90 | 53 |
| Walk | 3 | 29 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 4 | 20 |
| Median rent | $1,847 | $2,055 |
| Median home | $733,385 | $612,626 |
| Population | 36,014 | 83,491 |
| Commute to The Loop | 42 min | 28 min |
| Commute to North Side | 31 min | 26 min |
| Commute to West Loop | 36 min | 19 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | North Center | West Town |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 43% | 58% |
| Median age | 36 | 33.2 |
| Median income | $147K | $141K |
| Part I per 1k | 17.7 | 47.2 |
| Groceries / 800m | 19 | 35 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 121 | 300 |
| Parks / 800m | 48 | 145 |
| 311 last 14 days | 301 | 708 |
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. W Town is 43% 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. 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 quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 100 vs 26. Schools score 90 vs 53. North Center is tagged family on this map; West Town is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick West Town if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 20 vs 4. Walk is 29 vs 3. 28 vs 42 minutes to The Loop. 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
West Town
Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village live inside this community area. Division Street energy, brick two-flats behind it.
$2,055 median rent · safety 26 · walk 29
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, North Center or West Town?
North Center is the lower ACS median: $1,847 vs $2,055. About 43% rent in North Center vs 58% in West Town. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is North Center more walkable than West Town?
West Town wins the errand count (walk 3 vs 29). Groceries inside 800 meters: 19 vs 35. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, North Center or West Town?
North Center is the calmer Part I read (100 vs 26). Combined rate 17.7 vs 47.2 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, North Center or West Town?
North Center leads the school axis (90 vs 53). Nearby rating is 8.5 / 10 vs 7.4 / 10. Median age 36 vs 33.2. West Town 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, 28 from West Town. West Town is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official community area that is not North Center or West Town: Logan Square. The boulevard, the farmers market, and Bucktown on the eastern edge. North-west Chicago's walkable default.
Scores are relative among official Chicago community areas with the same editorial weights. Read the method.