Population
Houston
2,300,419
Chicago
2,707,648
Median Income
Houston
$62,894
Chicago
$75,134
Home Value
Houston
$253,400
Chicago
$315,200
Rent
Houston
$1,313
Chicago
$1,380
Crime Rate
Houston
11.48
Chicago
5.40
Cost of Living
Houston
116.4
Chicago
131.3
Avg Temp
Houston
70°F
Chicago
51°F
Unemployment
Houston
6.7%
Chicago
7.9%
How Similar Are Houston & Chicago?
Chicago is Houston's #15 most similar city
1 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Houston
2,300,419
Chicago
2,707,648
Chicago has a 15% larger population than Houston.
Violent Crime
Houston
11.48
Chicago
5.40
Houston's violent crime is significantly higher than Chicago's — 53% difference.
Property Crime
Houston
42.93
Chicago
34.72
Houston has a 19% higher property crime than Chicago.
Political Leaning
Houston
46.4%
Chicago
28.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Houston has a stronger Democratic lean (39% difference).
Unemployment
Houston
6.7%
Chicago
7.9%
Chicago has a 16% higher unemployment than Houston.
Median Income
Houston
$62,894
Chicago
$75,134
Chicago has a 16% higher median income than Houston.
Home Values
Houston
$253,400
Chicago
$315,200
Chicago has a 20% higher home values than Houston.
Education
Houston
23.9%
Chicago
30.6%
Chicago has a 22% higher education than Houston.
Demographics
Houston
35.5%
Chicago
39.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
Houston
116.4
Chicago
131.3
Chicago has a 11% higher cost of living than Houston.
1 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Houston and Chicago differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Houston
0
Chicago
Chicago leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Houston leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHouston has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,323 vs $1,581 in Chicago (16% lower). Houston scores 103.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 120.0 in Chicago. Houston has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,573 vs $1,781 in Chicago (12% 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 ACSHouston has a single-family homes of 47.9% compared to 29.2% in Chicago. Chicago has a median home value of $315,200 vs $253,400 in Houston (20% higher). Houston has a median property tax of $4,003 vs $4,814 in Chicago (17% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Chicago leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago has a work from home of 18.3% compared to 11.7% in Houston. Chicago: 1,502,336 vs Houston: 1,219,957 for labor force. Chicago has a poverty rate of 16.8% compared to 19.7% in Houston.
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 UCRChicago has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.28 compared to 7.87 in Houston. Houston has a violent crime clearance of 31.9% compared to 9.5% in Chicago. Chicago has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.95 compared to 6.45 in Houston.
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
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoHouston averages 62°F, about 18°F warmer than Chicago. Chicago: 36.2" vs Houston: 50.4" for annual rainfall. Houston averages 70°F, about 19°F warmer 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 23.9% in Houston. Chicago has a high school diploma or higher of 45.7% compared to 38.3% in Houston.
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 1.2x the size of Houston (2,300,419). Houston skews younger with a median age of 34.3 vs 35.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Houston
Chicago
Healthcare — Chicago leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareChicago: 5 vs Houston: 4 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 3.3% in Houston. Chicago has a bicycle of 1.4% compared to 0.4% in Houston. Houston has a drive alone of 69.7% compared to 46.0% in Chicago.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Houston, TX
Compare Houston 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.