Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Los Angeles
3,857,897
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Los Angeles
$80,366
Home Value
Chicago
$315,200
Los Angeles
$879,500
Rent
Chicago
$1,380
Los Angeles
$1,879
Crime Rate
Chicago
5.40
Los Angeles
7.29
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Los Angeles
181.4
Avg Temp
Chicago
51°F
Los Angeles
64°F
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Los Angeles
7.9%
How Similar Are Chicago & Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is Chicago's #3 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Los Angeles
3,857,897
Los Angeles has a 30% larger population than Chicago.
Violent Crime
Chicago
5.40
Los Angeles
7.29
Los Angeles has a 26% higher violent crime than Chicago.
Property Crime
Chicago
34.72
Los Angeles
14.84
Chicago's property crime is significantly higher than Los Angeles's — 57% difference.
Political Leaning
Chicago
28.4%
Los Angeles
31.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Los Angeles has a stronger Democratic lean (11% difference).
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Los Angeles
7.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 0% difference.
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Los Angeles
$80,366
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Chicago
$315,200
Los Angeles
$879,500
Los Angeles's home values is significantly higher than Chicago's — 64% difference.
Education
Chicago
30.6%
Los Angeles
26.9%
Chicago has a 12% higher education than Los Angeles.
Demographics
Chicago
39.0%
Los Angeles
37.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Los Angeles
181.4
Los Angeles has a 28% higher cost of living than Chicago.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chicago and Los Angeles differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Chicago
0
Los Angeles
Chicago leads in 4 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 294.4 in Los Angeles. Chicago has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,781 vs $2,601 in Los Angeles (32% lower). Chicago has a living wage (1 adult) of $57,777 vs $79,836 in Los Angeles (28% 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLos Angeles has a median home value of $879,500 vs $315,200 in Chicago (64% higher). Los Angeles has a single-family homes of 42.1% compared to 29.2% in Chicago. Chicago has a median rent of $1,380 vs $1,879 in Los Angeles (27% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Los Angeles leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLos Angeles: 2,124,954 vs Chicago: 1,502,336 for labor force. Los Angeles: 26 min vs Chicago: 27 min for mean commute. Los Angeles has a median household income of $80,366 vs $75,134 in Chicago (7% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Los Angeles leads
Source: FBI UCRLos Angeles has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 8.52 compared to 23.19 in Chicago. Los Angeles has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.17 in Chicago. Los Angeles has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 14.84 compared to 34.72 in Chicago.
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 — Los Angeles leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoLos Angeles: 13.7" vs Chicago: 36.2" for annual rainfall. Los Angeles gets 132 more sunny days per year than Chicago. Los Angeles averages 77°F, about 20°F cooler than Chicago.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Chicago leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauChicago has a high school diploma or higher of 45.7% compared to 40.0% in Los Angeles. Chicago has a bachelor's degree or higher of 30.6% compared to 26.9% in Los Angeles.
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 ACSLos Angeles has a population of 3,857,897, about 1.4x the size of Chicago (2,707,648). Chicago skews younger with a median age of 35.7 vs 36.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chicago
Los Angeles
Healthcare — Chicago leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareChicago: 5 vs Los Angeles: 2 for with emergency services. Chicago: 3.0 vs Los Angeles: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Chicago leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago has a public transit of 19.3% compared to 6.7% in Los Angeles. Chicago has a bicycle of 1.4% compared to 0.7% in Los Angeles. Los Angeles has a drive alone of 61.4% compared to 46.0% 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.