Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Phoenix
1,624,832
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Phoenix
$77,041
Home Value
Chicago
$315,200
Phoenix
$381,900
Rent
Chicago
$1,380
Phoenix
$1,458
Crime Rate
Chicago
5.40
Phoenix
8.00
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Phoenix
129.8
Avg Temp
Chicago
51°F
Phoenix
74°F
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Phoenix
5.1%
How Similar Are Chicago & Phoenix?
Phoenix is Chicago's #8 most similar city
2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Phoenix
1,624,832
Chicago has a 40% larger population than Phoenix.
Violent Crime
Chicago
5.40
Phoenix
8.00
Phoenix has a 33% higher violent crime than Chicago.
Property Crime
Chicago
34.72
Phoenix
23.25
Chicago has a 33% higher property crime than Phoenix.
Political Leaning
Chicago
28.4%
Phoenix
51.2%
Chicago leans Democratic while Phoenix leans Republican.
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Phoenix
5.1%
Chicago has a 36% higher unemployment than Phoenix.
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Phoenix
$77,041
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Chicago
$315,200
Phoenix
$381,900
Phoenix has a 17% higher home values than Chicago.
Education
Chicago
30.6%
Phoenix
21.3%
Chicago has a 30% higher education than Phoenix.
Demographics
Chicago
39.0%
Phoenix
53.7%
Phoenix has a 27% higher demographics than Chicago.
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Phoenix
129.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chicago and Phoenix differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Chicago
0
Phoenix
Phoenix leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPhoenix scores 104.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 120.0 in Chicago. Chicago has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,781 vs $1,839 in Phoenix. Chicago scores 107.4 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 108.9 in Phoenix.
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 — Phoenix leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPhoenix has a median property tax of $1,825 vs $4,814 in Chicago (164% lower). Phoenix has a single-family homes of 64.6% compared to 29.2% in Chicago. Phoenix has a vacancy rate of 6.5% compared to 9.6% in Chicago.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Phoenix leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago: 1,502,336 vs Phoenix: 870,196 for labor force. Phoenix has a unemployment rate of 5.1% compared to 7.9% in Chicago. Phoenix: 21 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 — Phoenix leads
Source: FBI UCRPhoenix has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.08 compared to 0.17 in Chicago. Phoenix has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.82 compared to 3.35 in Chicago. Chicago has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.28 compared to 5.45 in Phoenix.
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 — Phoenix leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoPhoenix: 9.8" vs Chicago: 36.2" for annual rainfall. Phoenix has a avg humidity of 35.0% compared to 72.2% in Chicago. Phoenix gets 128 more sunny days per year 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 bachelor's degree or higher of 30.6% compared to 21.3% in Phoenix. Chicago has a high school diploma or higher of 45.7% compared to 36.6% in Phoenix.
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 1.7x the size of Phoenix (1,624,832).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chicago
Phoenix
Healthcare — Chicago leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareChicago: 5 vs Phoenix: 2 for with emergency services.
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 2.0% in Phoenix. Chicago has a bicycle of 1.4% compared to 0.4% in Phoenix. Phoenix has a drive alone of 66.1% 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.