Best PlacesSouth Shore, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Shore, 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 Shore, Chicago ranks 5,107th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Shore, 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 Shore, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Shore, Chicago ranks high
- TransitBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
Where South Shore, Chicago ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Short commute36.3 minutes each way, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Shore, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $65,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Shore, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $50,026, 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 Shore, Chicago's effective rate of 1.26%, 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 Shore, Chicago
South Shore, 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 South Shore, Chicago.
Who works in South Shore, Chicago, and how
Work in South Shore, Chicago centers on health care & social and transportation & warehousing. 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 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 28%
Life in South Shore, Chicago
South Shore, Chicago has more parkland per resident than 78% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of South Shore, Chicago and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Shore, Chicago, month by month
South Shore, 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 Shore, Chicago
Chicago Midway International sits about 9 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 Shore, Chicago
Schools across South Shore, Chicago average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Parkside Elem Community AcademyF · 5% proficient
- South Shore Fine Arts Elem SchF · 5% proficient
Top high schools
- South Shore Intl Col Prep HsF · 6% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Shore, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Shore, 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 Shore, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who South Shore, Chicago suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in South Shore, Chicago
Is South Shore, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Shore, Chicago ranks 5,107th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on transit, biking, and walkability, 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 South Shore, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $234,475. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $50,026 median income, cost of living beats 25% of neighborhoods.
Is South Shore, Chicago safe?
South Shore, Chicago is safer than 6% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $770 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South Shore, 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 Shore, Chicago good for families?
Schools beat 49% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 6%, and childcare runs $1,105 a month.
Compare South Shore, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Shore, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Shore, 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 Shore, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Shore, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Shore, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Shore, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Shore, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Shore, 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.