Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Charlotte
886,283
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Charlotte
$78,438
Home Value
Chicago
$315,200
Charlotte
$351,500
Rent
Chicago
$1,380
Charlotte
$1,504
Crime Rate
Chicago
5.40
Charlotte
N/A
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Charlotte
130.4
Avg Temp
Chicago
51°F
Charlotte
N/A
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Charlotte
4.4%
How Similar Are Chicago & Charlotte?
Charlotte is Chicago's #2 most similar city
4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Charlotte
886,283
Chicago (2,707,648) is about 3.1x larger than Charlotte (886,283).
Political Leaning
Chicago
28.4%
Charlotte
32.7%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Charlotte has a stronger Democratic lean (13% difference).
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Charlotte
4.4%
Chicago has a 44% higher unemployment than Charlotte.
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Charlotte
$78,438
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Chicago
$315,200
Charlotte
$351,500
Charlotte has a 10% higher home values than Chicago.
Education
Chicago
30.6%
Charlotte
31.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Chicago
39.0%
Charlotte
41.5%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Charlotte
130.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Chicago and Charlotte share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Chicago
0
Charlotte
Charlotte leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Charlotte leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCharlotte scores 98.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 120.0 in Chicago. Charlotte has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,686 vs $1,781 in Chicago (6% lower). Charlotte has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,538 vs $1,581 in Chicago.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Charlotte leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCharlotte has a median property tax of $2,701 vs $4,814 in Chicago (78% lower). Charlotte has a single-family homes of 61.1% compared to 29.2% in Chicago. Charlotte has a vacancy rate of 7.6% compared to 9.6% in Chicago.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Charlotte leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago: 1,502,336 vs Charlotte: 510,856 for labor force. Charlotte has a unemployment rate of 4.4% compared to 7.9% in Chicago. Charlotte: 19 min vs Chicago: 27 min for mean commute.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauChicago has a high school diploma or higher of 45.7% compared to 43.1% in Charlotte. Charlotte has a bachelor's degree or higher of 31.9% compared to 30.6% in Chicago.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago has a population of 2,707,648, about 3.1x the size of Charlotte (886,283). Charlotte skews younger with a median age of 34.4 vs 35.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chicago
Charlotte
Healthcare — Charlotte leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCharlotte: 3.3 vs Chicago: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Charlotte leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago has a public transit of 19.3% compared to 2.2% in Charlotte. Chicago has a bicycle of 1.4% compared to 0.2% in Charlotte. Charlotte: 19 min vs Chicago: 27 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Chicago, IL
Compare Chicago against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.