Population
Chicago
2,707,648
San Jose
990,054
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
San Jose
$141,565
Home Value
Chicago
$315,200
San Jose
$1,187,800
Rent
Chicago
$1,380
San Jose
$2,617
Crime Rate
Chicago
5.40
San Jose
6.07
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
San Jose
252.6
Avg Temp
Chicago
51°F
San Jose
60°F
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
San Jose
4.7%
How Similar Are Chicago & San Jose?
San Jose is Chicago's #11 most similar city
2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chicago
2,707,648
San Jose
990,054
Chicago (2,707,648) is about 2.7x larger than San Jose (990,054).
Violent Crime
Chicago
5.40
San Jose
6.07
San Jose has a 11% higher violent crime than Chicago.
Property Crime
Chicago
34.72
San Jose
25.88
Chicago has a 25% higher property crime than San Jose.
Political Leaning
Chicago
28.4%
San Jose
28.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
San Jose
4.7%
Chicago has a 41% higher unemployment than San Jose.
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
San Jose
$141,565
San Jose has a 47% higher median income than Chicago.
Home Values
Chicago
$315,200
San Jose
$1,187,800
San Jose's home values is significantly higher than Chicago's — 73% difference.
Education
Chicago
30.6%
San Jose
32.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Chicago
39.0%
San Jose
29.0%
Chicago has a 26% higher demographics than San Jose.
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
San Jose
252.6
San Jose has a 48% higher cost of living than Chicago.
2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chicago and San Jose differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Chicago
0
San Jose
San Jose leads in 5 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 Jose. Chicago has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,781 vs $3,483 in San Jose (49% lower). Chicago scores 131.3 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 252.6 in San Jose.
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 — San Jose leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Jose has a vacancy rate of 4.8% compared to 9.6% in Chicago. San Jose has a median home value of $1,187,800 vs $315,200 in Chicago (73% higher). San Jose has a single-family homes of 62.5% compared to 29.2% in Chicago.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — San Jose leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago: 1,502,336 vs San Jose: 548,145 for labor force. San Jose has a poverty rate of 7.8% compared to 16.8% in Chicago. San Jose has a unemployment rate of 4.7% compared to 7.9% 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 — San Jose leads
Source: FBI UCRSan Jose has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.17 in Chicago. San Jose has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.41 compared to 3.35 in Chicago. San Jose has a violent crime clearance of 34.4% compared to 9.5% 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 — San Jose leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoSan Jose: 24.7" vs Chicago: 36.2" for annual rainfall. San Jose gets 104 more sunny days per year than Chicago. San Jose averages 70°F, about 14°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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSan Jose has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.5% compared to 30.6% in Chicago. Chicago has a high school diploma or higher of 45.7% compared to 44.0% in San Jose.
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 2.7x the size of San Jose (990,054). Chicago skews younger with a median age of 35.7 vs 38.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chicago
San Jose
Healthcare — Chicago leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareChicago: 3.0 vs San Jose: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — San Jose leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago has a public transit of 19.3% compared to 2.8% in San Jose. Chicago has a bicycle of 1.4% compared to 0.5% in San Jose. San Jose has a drive alone of 64.6% compared to 46.0% in Chicago.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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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.