Best PlacesWest Ridge, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Ridge, 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.
West Ridge, Chicago ranks 2,506th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West Ridge, 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.
West Ridge, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Ridge, Chicago ranks high
- BikingBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where West Ridge, Chicago ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 50 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Short commute29.9 minutes each way, better than only 19% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Ridge, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $96,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Ridge, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $76,253, 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 West Ridge, 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 West Ridge, Chicago
West Ridge, 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 West Ridge, Chicago.
Who works in West Ridge, Chicago, and how
Work in West Ridge, Chicago centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 67%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 18%
Life in West Ridge, Chicago
West Ridge, Chicago has more parkland per resident than 75% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of West Ridge, Chicago and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West Ridge, Chicago, month by month
West Ridge, Chicago sees roughly 50 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 26° | 19° |
| April | 62° | 49° | 39° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 67° | 56° | 46° |
Flying in and out of West Ridge, Chicago
Chicago O'Hare International sits about 11 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 40.8 million passengers in 2025, with 305 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around West Ridge, Chicago
Schools across West Ridge, Chicago average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Decatur Classical Elem SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Rogers Elem SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lincoln Hall Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Niles West High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Mather High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Ridge, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Ridge, 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 West Ridge, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who West Ridge, Chicago suits
Common questions about living in West Ridge, Chicago
Is West Ridge, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Ridge, Chicago ranks 2,506th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, walkability, and low disaster risk, and lowest on the weather and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Ridge, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $342,813. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $76,253 median income, cost of living beats 47% of neighborhoods.
Is West Ridge, Chicago safe?
West Ridge, Chicago is safer than 37% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $426 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in West Ridge, Chicago?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 35 with lows near 19. That works out to about 50 pleasant days a year, more than 0% of neighborhoods.
Is West Ridge, Chicago good for families?
Schools beat 49% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 37%, and childcare runs $1,105 a month.
Compare West Ridge, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Ridge, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Ridge, 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.
West Ridge, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Ridge, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Ridge, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Ridge, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Ridge, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Ridge, 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.