Best PlacesChicago Lawn, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Chicago Lawn, 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.
Chicago Lawn, Chicago ranks 4,807th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Chicago Lawn, 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.
Chicago Lawn, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where Chicago Lawn, Chicago ranks high
- BikingBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
Where Chicago Lawn, Chicago ranks low
- Short commute37.5 minutes each way, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Chicago Lawn, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $65,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Chicago Lawn, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $57,104, 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 Chicago Lawn, Chicago's effective rate of 1.27%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Chicago Lawn, Chicago
Chicago Lawn, Chicago runs younger than the country, 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 Chicago Lawn, Chicago.
Who works in Chicago Lawn, Chicago, and how
Work in Chicago Lawn, Chicago centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 18%
Life in Chicago Lawn, Chicago
Chicago Lawn, Chicago has more parkland per resident than 82% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Chicago Lawn, Chicago and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Chicago Lawn, Chicago, month by month
Chicago Lawn, Chicago sees roughly 76 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 Chicago Lawn, Chicago
Chicago Midway International sits about 3 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 9.4 million passengers in 2025, with 113 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Chicago Lawn, Chicago
Schools across Chicago Lawn, Chicago average a C+, better than 44% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Eberhart Elem SchoolF · 8% proficient
- Tarkington Elem SchoolF · 6% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hernandez Middle SchoolF · 9% proficient
Top high schools
- Ace Amandla Charter SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Chicago Lawn, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Chicago Lawn, 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 Chicago Lawn, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Chicago Lawn, Chicago suits
Common questions about living in Chicago Lawn, Chicago
Is Chicago Lawn, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Chicago Lawn, Chicago ranks 4,807th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, transit, and big-city access, and lowest on long commutes and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Chicago Lawn, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $232,775. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $57,104 median income, cost of living beats 19% of neighborhoods.
Is Chicago Lawn, Chicago safe?
Chicago Lawn, Chicago is safer than 19% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $555 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Chicago Lawn, Chicago?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 34 with lows near 22. That works out to about 76 pleasant days a year, more than 34% of neighborhoods.
Is Chicago Lawn, Chicago good for families?
Schools beat 44% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 19%, and childcare runs $1,105 a month.
Compare Chicago Lawn, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Chicago Lawn, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Chicago Lawn, 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.
Chicago Lawn, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Chicago Lawn, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Chicago Lawn, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Chicago Lawn, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Chicago Lawn, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Chicago Lawn, 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.