Population
San Jose
990,054
Chicago
2,707,648
Median Income
San Jose
$141,565
Chicago
$75,134
Home Value
San Jose
$1,187,800
Chicago
$315,200
Rent
San Jose
$2,617
Chicago
$1,380
Crime Rate
San Jose
6.07
Chicago
5.40
Cost of Living
San Jose
252.6
Chicago
131.3
Avg Temp
San Jose
60°F
Chicago
51°F
Unemployment
San Jose
4.7%
Chicago
7.9%
How Similar Are San Jose & Chicago?
Chicago is San Jose's #21 most similar city
2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
San Jose
990,054
Chicago
2,707,648
Chicago (2,707,648) is about 2.7x larger than San Jose (990,054).
Violent Crime
San Jose
6.07
Chicago
5.40
San Jose has a 11% higher violent crime than Chicago.
Property Crime
San Jose
25.88
Chicago
34.72
Chicago has a 25% higher property crime than San Jose.
Political Leaning
San Jose
28.1%
Chicago
28.4%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
San Jose
4.7%
Chicago
7.9%
Chicago has a 41% higher unemployment than San Jose.
Median Income
San Jose
$141,565
Chicago
$75,134
San Jose has a 47% higher median income than Chicago.
Home Values
San Jose
$1,187,800
Chicago
$315,200
San Jose's home values is significantly higher than Chicago's — 73% difference.
Education
San Jose
32.5%
Chicago
30.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
San Jose
29.0%
Chicago
39.0%
Chicago has a 26% higher demographics than San Jose.
Cost of Living
San Jose
252.6
Chicago
131.3
San Jose has a 48% higher cost of living than Chicago.
2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. San Jose and Chicago differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
San Jose
0
Chicago
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 (96% 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 median home value of $1,187,800 vs $315,200 in Chicago (277% higher). San Jose has a single-family homes of 62.5% compared to 29.2% in Chicago. Chicago has a median rent of $1,380 vs $2,617 in San Jose (90% lower).
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 ACSSan Jose has a median household income of $141,565 vs $75,134 in Chicago (88% higher). Chicago: 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.
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 violent crime clearance of 34.4% compared to 9.5% in Chicago. Chicago has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.28 compared to 3.86 in San Jose. San Jose has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.17 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 gets 104 more sunny days per year than Chicago. San Jose: 24.7" vs Chicago: 36.2" for annual rainfall. San Jose averages 70°F, about 14°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
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
San Jose
Chicago
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
Cities Similar to San Jose, CA
Compare San Jose 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.