Best PlacesAvondale, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Avondale, Chicago, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Avondale, Chicago ranks 2,340th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Avondale, Chicago
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.
Avondale, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where Avondale, Chicago ranks high
- BikingBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
Where Avondale, Chicago ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Short commute34.1 minutes each way, better than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Avondale, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $135,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Avondale, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $91,918, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Avondale, Chicago's effective rate of 1.55%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Avondale, Chicago
Avondale, Chicago runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Avondale, Chicago.
Who works in Avondale, Chicago, and how
Work in Avondale, Chicago centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 47%
- Work from home 25%
- Transit, walk, or bike 28%
Life in Avondale, Chicago
Avondale, Chicago has more restaurants and bars per resident than 72% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Avondale, Chicago and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Avondale, Chicago, month by month
Avondale, Chicago sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 28° | 22° |
| April | 61° | 50° | 43° |
| July | 86° | 77° | 70° |
| October | 66° | 57° | 49° |
Flying in and out of Avondale, Chicago
Chicago O'Hare International sits about 10 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 Avondale, Chicago
Schools across Avondale, Chicago average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Linne Elem SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
- Garcia Lorca Elem SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Yccs-aspira Pantoja Alt HsF · 5% proficient
- Aspira Charter - Early College PrF · 3% proficient
- Aspira Charter - Bus And FinF · 3% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Avondale, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Avondale, Chicago 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 Avondale, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Avondale, Chicago suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Avondale, Chicago
Is Avondale, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Avondale, Chicago ranks 2,340th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, walkability, and transit, and lowest on state finances and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Avondale, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $468,639. The overall cost of living runs about 10% above the national average. Set against a $91,918 median income, cost of living beats 57% of neighborhoods.
Is Avondale, Chicago safe?
Avondale, Chicago is safer than 21% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $528 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Avondale, Chicago?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 34 with lows near 22. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 26% of neighborhoods.
Is Avondale, Chicago good for families?
Schools beat 49% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 21%, and childcare runs $1,105 a month.
Compare Avondale, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Avondale, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Avondale, Chicago 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.
Avondale, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Avondale, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Avondale, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Avondale, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Avondale, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Avondale, Chicago 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.