Best Places60203, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 60203, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
60203 ranks 1,070th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on an educated workforce by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 60203
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
60203's strengths and weaknesses
Where 60203 ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Household income$167,242 median, better than 98% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 97% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 96% of zip codes
Where 60203 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 60203
A household needs to earn about $162,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 60203 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $167,242, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 60203's effective rate of 1.73%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 60203
60203's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 60203.
Who works in 60203, and how
Work in 60203 centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 57%
- Work from home 35%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 60203
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 60203.
What the weather is like in 60203, month by month
60203 sees roughly 85 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 27° | 21° |
| April | 60° | 49° | 40° |
| July | 85° | 75° | 67° |
| October | 65° | 55° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 60203
Chicago O'Hare International sits about 11 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 40.8 million passengers in 2025, with 305 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 60203
Schools across 60203 average a B−, better than 51% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lincolnwood Elem SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Walker Elem SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Haven Middle SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Chute Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Evanston Twp High SchoolB · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 60203 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
60203 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 60203 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 60203
Is 60203 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 60203 ranks 1,070th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on an educated workforce, what local pay buys, and high incomes, and lowest on state finances and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 60203 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $550,155. The overall cost of living runs about 10% above the national average. Set against a $167,242 median income, cost of living beats 98% of zip codes.
Is 60203 safe?
60203 is safer than 14% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $413 per resident a year.
Compare 60203 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 60203. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 60203 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
60203 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 60203: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 60203: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 60203: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 60203: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
60203 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.