Best PlacesKenwood, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Kenwood, 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.
Kenwood, Chicago ranks 2,698th 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 Kenwood, 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.
Kenwood, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where Kenwood, Chicago ranks high
- BikingBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
Where Kenwood, Chicago ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Kenwood, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $120,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Kenwood, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $70,204, 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 Kenwood, Chicago's effective rate of 1.61%, 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 Kenwood, Chicago
Kenwood, Chicago's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 Kenwood, Chicago.
Who works in Kenwood, Chicago, and how
Work in Kenwood, Chicago centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 41%
- Work from home 29%
- Transit, walk, or bike 29%
Life in Kenwood, Chicago
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Kenwood, Chicago.
What the weather is like in Kenwood, Chicago, month by month
Kenwood, 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 Kenwood, Chicago
Chicago Midway International sits about 8 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 Kenwood, Chicago
Schools across Kenwood, Chicago average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Univ Of Chicago Chtr-nth KenwoodD− · 13% proficient
- Ariel Elem Community AcademyF · 4% proficient
Top high schools
- Kenwood Academy High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- King College Prep High SchoolD− · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Kenwood, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Kenwood, 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 Kenwood, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Kenwood, Chicago
Is Kenwood, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Kenwood, Chicago ranks 2,698th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, walkability, and transit, 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 Kenwood, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $411,794. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $70,204 median income, cost of living beats 58% of neighborhoods.
Is Kenwood, Chicago safe?
Kenwood, Chicago is safer than 18% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $553 per resident a year.
Compare Kenwood, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Kenwood, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Kenwood, 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.
Kenwood, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Kenwood, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Kenwood, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Kenwood, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Kenwood, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Kenwood, 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.