Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Seattle
741,440
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Seattle
$121,984
Home Value
Chicago
$315,200
Seattle
$912,100
Rent
Chicago
$1,380
Seattle
$1,998
Crime Rate
Chicago
5.40
Seattle
7.75
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Seattle
208.3
Avg Temp
Chicago
51°F
Seattle
51°F
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Seattle
4.2%
How Similar Are Chicago & Seattle?
Seattle is Chicago's #18 most similar city
0 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Seattle
741,440
Chicago (2,707,648) is about 3.7x larger than Seattle (741,440).
Violent Crime
Chicago
5.40
Seattle
7.75
Seattle has a 30% higher violent crime than Chicago.
Property Crime
Chicago
34.72
Seattle
50.08
Seattle has a 31% higher property crime than Chicago.
Political Leaning
Chicago
28.4%
Seattle
22.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Chicago has a stronger Democratic lean (21% difference).
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Seattle
4.2%
Chicago has a 47% higher unemployment than Seattle.
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Seattle
$121,984
Seattle has a 38% higher median income than Chicago.
Home Values
Chicago
$315,200
Seattle
$912,100
Seattle's home values is significantly higher than Chicago's — 65% difference.
Education
Chicago
30.6%
Seattle
51.2%
Seattle has a 40% higher education than Chicago.
Demographics
Chicago
39.0%
Seattle
61.8%
Seattle has a 37% higher demographics than Chicago.
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Seattle
208.3
Seattle has a 37% higher cost of living than Chicago.
Chicago and Seattle differ significantly across all measured metrics.
At a Glance
0
Chicago
0
Seattle
Seattle 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 314.0 in Seattle. Chicago scores 131.3 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 208.3 in Seattle. Chicago has a living wage (family of 4) of $136,563 vs $216,614 in Seattle (37% 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 ACSSeattle has a median home value of $912,100 vs $315,200 in Chicago (65% higher). Seattle has a single-family homes of 43.8% compared to 29.2% in Chicago. Chicago has a median property tax of $4,814 vs $7,025 in Seattle (31% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Seattle leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago: 1,502,336 vs Seattle: 480,209 for labor force. Seattle has a unemployment rate of 4.2% compared to 7.9% in Chicago. Seattle has a poverty rate of 9.9% 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 UCRSeattle has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.17 in Chicago. Chicago has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.95 compared to 11.52 in Seattle. Chicago has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.28 compared to 5.01 in Seattle.
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 — Seattle leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoSeattle: 3.2" vs Chicago: 10.5" for annual snowfall. Chicago: 36.2" vs Seattle: 49.9" for annual rainfall. Chicago gets 19 more sunny days per year than Seattle.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Seattle leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSeattle has a bachelor's degree or higher of 51.2% compared to 30.6% in Chicago. Seattle has a high school diploma or higher of 58.5% 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 3.7x the size of Seattle (741,440).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chicago
Seattle
Healthcare — Seattle leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSeattle: 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 — Seattle leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSeattle: 18 min vs Chicago: 27 min for mean commute time. Seattle has a bicycle of 2.5% compared to 1.4% in Chicago. Seattle has a work from home of 31.3% 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.