Population
San Francisco
836,321
Chicago
2,707,648
Median Income
San Francisco
$141,446
Chicago
$75,134
Home Value
San Francisco
$1,380,500
Chicago
$315,200
Rent
San Francisco
$2,419
Chicago
$1,380
Crime Rate
San Francisco
5.96
Chicago
5.40
Cost of Living
San Francisco
252.5
Chicago
131.3
Avg Temp
San Francisco
56°F
Chicago
51°F
Unemployment
San Francisco
5.6%
Chicago
7.9%
How Similar Are San Francisco & Chicago?
Chicago is San Francisco's #21 most similar city
2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
San Francisco
836,321
Chicago
2,707,648
Chicago (2,707,648) is about 3.2x larger than San Francisco (836,321).
Violent Crime
San Francisco
5.96
Chicago
5.40
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 9% difference.
Property Crime
San Francisco
39.29
Chicago
34.72
San Francisco has a 12% higher property crime than Chicago.
Political Leaning
San Francisco
15.5%
Chicago
28.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Chicago has a stronger Democratic lean (45% difference).
Unemployment
San Francisco
5.6%
Chicago
7.9%
Chicago has a 29% higher unemployment than San Francisco.
Median Income
San Francisco
$141,446
Chicago
$75,134
San Francisco has a 47% higher median income than Chicago.
Home Values
San Francisco
$1,380,500
Chicago
$315,200
San Francisco's home values is significantly higher than Chicago's — 77% difference.
Education
San Francisco
48.1%
Chicago
30.6%
San Francisco has a 36% higher education than Chicago.
Demographics
San Francisco
40.5%
Chicago
39.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
San Francisco
252.5
Chicago
131.3
San Francisco has a 48% higher cost of living than Chicago.
2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. San Francisco and Chicago differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
San Francisco
0
Chicago
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 (102% 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 (338% higher). Chicago has a median property tax of $4,814 vs $9,412 in San Francisco (96% lower). Chicago has a median rent of $1,380 vs $2,419 in San Francisco (75% 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 ACSSan Francisco has a median household income of $141,446 vs $75,134 in Chicago (88% higher). San Francisco has a per capita income of $90,285 vs $48,148 in Chicago (88% higher). Chicago: 1,502,336 vs San Francisco: 514,336 for labor force.
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 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. Chicago has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.95 compared to 6.37 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 gets 104 more sunny days per year than Chicago. San Francisco: 19.3" vs Chicago: 36.2" for annual rainfall. San Francisco averages 50°F, about 6°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 — 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
San Francisco
Chicago
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 ACSSan 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. Chicago has a drive alone of 46.0% compared to 28.6% in San Francisco.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to San Francisco, CA
Compare San Francisco 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.