Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Denver
713,734
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Denver
$91,681
Home Value
Chicago
$315,200
Denver
$586,700
Rent
Chicago
$1,380
Denver
$1,770
Crime Rate
Chicago
5.40
Denver
9.93
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Denver
158.2
Avg Temp
Chicago
51°F
Denver
48°F
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Denver
4.6%
How Similar Are Chicago & Denver?
Denver is Chicago's #16 most similar city
0 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Denver
713,734
Chicago (2,707,648) is about 3.8x larger than Denver (713,734).
Violent Crime
Chicago
5.40
Denver
9.93
Denver has a 46% higher violent crime than Chicago.
Property Crime
Chicago
34.72
Denver
47.62
Denver has a 27% higher property crime than Chicago.
Political Leaning
Chicago
28.4%
Denver
20.6%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Chicago has a stronger Democratic lean (27% difference).
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Denver
4.6%
Chicago has a 42% higher unemployment than Denver.
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Denver
$91,681
Denver has a 18% higher median income than Chicago.
Home Values
Chicago
$315,200
Denver
$586,700
Denver has a 46% higher home values than Chicago.
Education
Chicago
30.6%
Denver
41.0%
Denver has a 25% higher education than Chicago.
Demographics
Chicago
39.0%
Denver
62.9%
Denver has a 38% higher demographics than Chicago.
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Denver
158.2
Denver has a 17% higher cost of living than Chicago.
Chicago and Denver differ significantly across all measured metrics.
At a Glance
0
Chicago
0
Denver
Denver leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Chicago leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDChicago scores 164.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 222.1 in Denver. Chicago scores 131.3 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 158.2 in Denver. Chicago has a living wage (family of 4) of $136,563 vs $164,525 in Denver (17% lower).
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 — Denver leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDenver has a median property tax of $2,596 vs $4,814 in Chicago (85% lower). Denver has a vacancy rate of 6.5% compared to 9.6% in Chicago. Denver has a median home value of $586,700 vs $315,200 in Chicago (46% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Denver leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago: 1,502,336 vs Denver: 443,076 for labor force. Denver has a unemployment rate of 4.6% compared to 7.9% in Chicago. Denver has a poverty rate of 11.2% compared to 16.8% in Chicago.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Chicago leads
Source: FBI UCRDenver has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.76 compared to 3.35 in Chicago. Denver has a violent crime clearance of 53.4% compared to 9.5% in Chicago. Chicago has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.28 compared to 7.13 in Denver.
Violent 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 — Denver leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoDenver: 12.9" vs Chicago: 36.2" for annual rainfall. Chicago: 10.5" vs Denver: 18.9" for annual snowfall. Denver has a avg humidity of 55.7% compared to 72.2% in Chicago.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Denver leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauDenver has a bachelor's degree or higher of 41.0% compared to 30.6% in Chicago. Denver has a high school diploma or higher of 51.9% compared to 45.7% 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 3.8x the size of Denver (713,734).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chicago
Denver
Healthcare — Denver leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDenver: 3.5 vs Chicago: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Denver leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago has a public transit of 19.3% compared to 4.5% in Denver. Denver: 19 min vs Chicago: 27 min for mean commute time. Denver has a work from home of 24.4% compared to 18.3% in Chicago.
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.