Population
Chicago
2,707,648
San Francisco
836,321
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
San Francisco
$141,446
Home Value
Chicago
$315,200
San Francisco
$1,380,500
Rent
Chicago
$1,380
San Francisco
$2,419
Crime Rate
Chicago
5.40
San Francisco
5.96
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
San Francisco
252.5
Avg Temp
Chicago
51°F
San Francisco
56°F
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
San Francisco
5.6%
How Similar Are Chicago & San Francisco?
San Francisco is Chicago's #12 most similar city
2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chicago
2,707,648
San Francisco
836,321
Chicago (2,707,648) is about 3.2x larger than San Francisco (836,321).
Violent Crime
Chicago
5.40
San Francisco
5.96
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 9% difference.
Property Crime
Chicago
34.72
San Francisco
39.29
San Francisco has a 12% higher property crime than Chicago.
Political Leaning
Chicago
28.4%
San Francisco
15.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Chicago has a stronger Democratic lean (45% difference).
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
San Francisco
5.6%
Chicago has a 29% higher unemployment than San Francisco.
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
San Francisco
$141,446
San Francisco has a 47% higher median income than Chicago.
Home Values
Chicago
$315,200
San Francisco
$1,380,500
San Francisco's home values is significantly higher than Chicago's — 77% difference.
Education
Chicago
30.6%
San Francisco
48.1%
San Francisco has a 36% higher education than Chicago.
Demographics
Chicago
39.0%
San Francisco
40.5%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
San Francisco
252.5
San Francisco has a 48% higher cost of living than Chicago.
2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chicago and San Francisco differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Chicago
0
San Francisco
San Francisco 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 400.0 in San Francisco. Chicago has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,781 vs $3,604 in San Francisco (51% lower). Chicago scores 131.3 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 252.5 in San Francisco.
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 — Chicago leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Francisco has a median home value of $1,380,500 vs $315,200 in Chicago (77% higher). Chicago has a median property tax of $4,814 vs $9,412 in San Francisco (49% lower). Chicago has a median rent of $1,380 vs $2,419 in San Francisco (43% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — San Francisco leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago: 1,502,336 vs San Francisco: 514,336 for labor force. San Francisco has a poverty rate of 10.6% compared to 16.8% in Chicago. San Francisco has a median household income of $141,446 vs $75,134 in Chicago (47% higher).
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 UCRSan Francisco has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.17 in Chicago. San Francisco has a violent crime clearance of 32.0% compared to 9.5% in Chicago. Chicago has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.28 compared to 2.90 in San Francisco.
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 — San Francisco leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoSan Francisco: 19.3" vs Chicago: 36.2" for annual rainfall. San Francisco gets 104 more sunny days per year than Chicago. San Francisco averages 50°F, about 6°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 — San Francisco leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSan Francisco has a bachelor's degree or higher of 48.1% compared to 30.6% in Chicago. San Francisco has a high school diploma or higher of 57.2% 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 3.2x the size of San Francisco (836,321). Chicago skews younger with a median age of 35.7 vs 39.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chicago
San Francisco
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareChicago: 5 vs San Francisco: 4 for with emergency services. San Francisco: 3.2 vs Chicago: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — San Francisco leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago has a drive alone of 46.0% compared to 28.6% in San Francisco. San Francisco has a bicycle of 3.3% compared to 1.4% in Chicago. San Francisco has a work from home of 27.5% 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.