Best PlacesNorth Lawndale, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Lawndale, 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.
North Lawndale, Chicago ranks 5,380th 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 North Lawndale, 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.
North Lawndale, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where North Lawndale, Chicago ranks high
- BikingBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
Where North Lawndale, Chicago ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Short commute36.5 minutes each way, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North Lawndale, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Lawndale, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $49,767, 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 North Lawndale, Chicago's effective rate of 1.21%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North Lawndale, Chicago
North Lawndale, Chicago runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North Lawndale, Chicago.
Who works in North Lawndale, Chicago, and how
Work in North Lawndale, Chicago centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 59%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 29%
Life in North Lawndale, Chicago
North Lawndale, Chicago has more parkland per resident than 78% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of North Lawndale, Chicago and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North Lawndale, Chicago, month by month
North Lawndale, 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 North Lawndale, Chicago
Chicago Midway International sits about 5 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 North Lawndale, Chicago
Schools across North Lawndale, Chicago average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Plamondon Elem SchoolF · 10% proficient
- Frazier Perspectives Magnet EsF · 8% proficient
Top high schools
- Yccs-cca Academy HsF · 10% proficient
- Collins Academy High SchoolF · 5% proficient
- Noble St Chtr-drw Trading ColF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Lawndale, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Lawndale, 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 North Lawndale, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who North Lawndale, Chicago suits
Common questions about living in North Lawndale, Chicago
Is North Lawndale, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Lawndale, Chicago ranks 5,380th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, transit, and big-city access, and lowest on state finances and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is North Lawndale, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $288,827. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $49,767 median income, cost of living beats 14% of neighborhoods.
Is North Lawndale, Chicago safe?
North Lawndale, Chicago is safer than 5% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $795 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in North Lawndale, 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 North Lawndale, Chicago good for families?
Schools beat 49% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 5%, and childcare runs $1,105 a month.
Compare North Lawndale, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Lawndale, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Lawndale, 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.
North Lawndale, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Lawndale, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Lawndale, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Lawndale, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Lawndale, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Lawndale, 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.