Best PlacesGarfield Ridge, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Garfield Ridge, Chicago, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Garfield Ridge, Chicago ranks 2,364th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Garfield Ridge, 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.
Garfield Ridge, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where Garfield Ridge, Chicago ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
Where Garfield Ridge, Chicago ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Short commute34.3 minutes each way, better than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Garfield Ridge, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $88,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Garfield Ridge, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $103,359, 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 Garfield Ridge, Chicago's effective rate of 1.44%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Garfield Ridge, Chicago
Garfield Ridge, Chicago'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 Garfield Ridge, Chicago.
Who works in Garfield Ridge, Chicago, and how
Work in Garfield Ridge, Chicago centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 73%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in Garfield Ridge, Chicago
Garfield Ridge, Chicago has more late-night spots per resident than 66% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Garfield Ridge, Chicago and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Garfield Ridge, Chicago, month by month
Garfield Ridge, 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 Garfield Ridge, Chicago
Chicago Midway International sits about 1 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 Garfield Ridge, Chicago
Schools across Garfield Ridge, Chicago average a C+, better than 48% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Kinzie Elem SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Twain Elem SchoolD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- Argo Community High SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Kennedy High SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Garfield Ridge, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Garfield Ridge, 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 Garfield Ridge, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Garfield Ridge, Chicago suits
Families
Schools land around the 48th percentile and crime safety beats 55%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 71% of neighborhoods and 14% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Garfield Ridge, Chicago
Is Garfield Ridge, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Garfield Ridge, Chicago ranks 2,364th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on a stable housing market, big-city access, and low disaster risk, 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 Garfield Ridge, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $310,175. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $103,359 median income, cost of living beats 71% of neighborhoods.
Is Garfield Ridge, Chicago safe?
Yes, Garfield Ridge, Chicago is safer than 55% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $328 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Garfield Ridge, 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 35% of neighborhoods.
Is Garfield Ridge, Chicago good for families?
Schools beat 48% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 55%, and childcare runs $1,105 a month.
Compare Garfield Ridge, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Garfield Ridge, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Garfield Ridge, 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.
Garfield Ridge, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Garfield Ridge, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Garfield Ridge, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Garfield Ridge, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Garfield Ridge, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Garfield Ridge, 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.