Best PlacesUniversity Village, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University Village, 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.
University Village, Chicago ranks 2,998th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in University Village, 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.
University Village, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where University Village, Chicago ranks high
- BikingBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
Where University Village, Chicago ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University Village, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $135,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University Village, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $76,436, 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 University Village, Chicago's effective rate of 1.50%, 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 University Village, Chicago
University Village, Chicago runs younger 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 University Village, Chicago.
Who works in University Village, Chicago, and how
Work in University Village, Chicago centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 40%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 39%
Life in University Village, Chicago
University Village, Chicago has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of University Village, Chicago and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University Village, Chicago, month by month
University Village, 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 University Village, 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 University Village, Chicago
Schools across University Village, Chicago average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University Village, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University Village, 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 University Village, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in University Village, Chicago
Is University Village, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University Village, Chicago ranks 2,998th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, transit, and cell coverage, and lowest on noise and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University Village, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $471,411. The overall cost of living runs about 15% above the national average. Set against a $76,436 median income, cost of living beats 37% of neighborhoods.
Is University Village, Chicago safe?
University Village, Chicago is safer than 14% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $603 per resident a year.
Compare University Village, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University Village, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University Village, 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.
University Village, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University Village, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University Village, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University Village, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University Village, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University Village, 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.