Best PlacesSouth Lawndale, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Lawndale, 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.
South Lawndale, Chicago ranks 4,330th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South 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.
South Lawndale, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Lawndale, Chicago ranks high
- BikingBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
Where South Lawndale, Chicago ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Lawndale, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $66,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Lawndale, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $61,614; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Lawndale, Chicago's effective rate of 1.31%, 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 South Lawndale, Chicago
South Lawndale, 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 South Lawndale, Chicago.
Who works in South Lawndale, Chicago, and how
Work in South Lawndale, Chicago centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 22%
Life in South Lawndale, Chicago
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across South Lawndale, Chicago.
What the weather is like in South Lawndale, Chicago, month by month
South 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 South Lawndale, Chicago
Chicago Midway International sits about 4 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 Lawndale, Chicago
Schools across South Lawndale, Chicago average a C+, better than 43% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Little Village Elem SchoolF · 10% proficient
- Whitney Elem SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gary Elem SchoolD− · 16% proficient
- Madero Middle SchoolF · 4% proficient
Top high schools
- Infinity Math Science & Tech HsD− · 15% proficient
- World Language High SchoolF · 6% proficient
- Multicultural Arts High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Lawndale, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South 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 South Lawndale, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who South Lawndale, Chicago suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in South Lawndale, Chicago
Is South Lawndale, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Lawndale, Chicago ranks 4,330th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, cell coverage, and walkability, and lowest on thin health care access and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Lawndale, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $237,360. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $61,614 median income, cost of living beats 28% of neighborhoods.
Is South Lawndale, Chicago safe?
South Lawndale, Chicago is safer than 25% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $501 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South 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 South Lawndale, Chicago good for families?
Schools beat 43% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 25%, and childcare runs $1,105 a month.
Compare South Lawndale, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Lawndale, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South 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.
South Lawndale, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Lawndale, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Lawndale, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Lawndale, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Lawndale, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South 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.