Best PlacesSouth Chicago, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Chicago, 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.
South Chicago, Chicago ranks 5,478th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in South Chicago, 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.
South Chicago, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Chicago, Chicago ranks high
- TransitBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
Where South Chicago, Chicago ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Household income$40,813 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Chicago, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $48,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Chicago, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $40,813, 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 South Chicago, Chicago's effective rate of 1.29%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Chicago, Chicago
South Chicago, Chicago runs older 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 South Chicago, Chicago.
Who works in South Chicago, Chicago, and how
Work in South Chicago, Chicago centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 53%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 25%
Life in South Chicago, Chicago
South Chicago, Chicago has more parkland per resident than 88% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of South Chicago, Chicago and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Chicago, Chicago, month by month
South Chicago, Chicago sees roughly 80 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 South Chicago, Chicago
Chicago Midway International sits about 10 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 South Chicago, Chicago
Schools across South Chicago, Chicago average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Learn Chtr - South Chicago CampusF · 8% proficient
- Coles Elem Language AcademyF · 4% proficient
Top high schools
- Noble St Chtr-baker CampusF · 5% proficient
- Bowen High SchoolF · 3% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Chicago, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Chicago, 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 South Chicago, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Chicago, Chicago
Is South Chicago, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Chicago, Chicago ranks 5,478th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on transit, low disaster risk, and biking, and lowest on crime and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Chicago, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $172,820. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $40,813 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is South Chicago, Chicago safe?
South Chicago, Chicago is safer than 3% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $879 per resident a year.
Compare South Chicago, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Chicago, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Chicago, 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.
South Chicago, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Chicago, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Chicago, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Chicago, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Chicago, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Chicago, 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.