- Cities
- United States
- Chicago
How walkable is Chicago?
Chicago has a walkability score of 88 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It is the 13th most walkable of 15 cities ranked in the United States.
What's within walking distance
903 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Chicago. The nearest grocery is Park To Shop Supermarket, about 6 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, banks, parks, schools and culture & entertainment.
- Park To Shop Supermarket480 m · 6 min
- Hong Kong Market540 m · 7 min
- J FreshMart570 m · 7 min
- Boston's Tavern120 m · 1 min
- Wing Yip Chop Suey Restaurant220 m · 3 min
- Punky's Pizza & Pasta250 m · 3 min
- Chicago Blossoms20 m · 1 min
- Flexli100 m · 1 min
- Easy Grow390 m · 5 min
- Daebak Korean Street Food & Chatime730 m · 9 min
- Dunkin'780 m · 10 min
- Stivers Coffee1.1 km · 14 min
- Access Credit Union250 m · 3 min
- Chicago Firemans Association Credit Union670 m · 8 min
- Verve Credit Union1.1 km · 14 min
- 26th Street Park490 m · 6 min
- Sun Yat-Sen Park680 m · 8 min
- Palmisano (Henry) Park820 m · 10 min
- Mark Sheridan Math & Science Academy260 m · 3 min
- NTA Elementary School480 m · 6 min
- James Ward Elementary School590 m · 7 min
- Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, Chicago1.1 km · 14 min
- Pui Tak Christian Bookstore1.4 km · 17 min
- Chicago Public Library1.5 km · 19 min
- Theme House restaurant bar karaoke520 m · 7 min
- Zero Degree Karaoke Bar & Club540 m · 7 min
- 15/20 Lounge550 m · 7 min
Measured from the representative point at 41.8455, -87.6396. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 69 street intersections per km², and blocks average 111 m long. Sparser streets or longer blocks reduce the score by 1%, since they make walks longer than the straight-line distance suggests.
Walkability around the centre
Scores at seven points within 1 km of the centre range from 55 to 100, and Chicago's score of 88 is their median. Walkability changes a lot across the centre, so check a specific address on the map.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 68 | Map |
| 1 km north | 100 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 93 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 88 | Map |
| 1 km south | 84 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 55 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 98 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto, Canada | 705 km | 94 |
| Ottawa, Canada | 1,041 km | 97 |
| Philadelphia, United States | 1,072 km | 100 |
| New York City, United States | 1,148 km | 100 |
| Manhattan, United States | 1,150 km | 95 |
Questions about walking in Chicago
Is Chicago a walkable city?
Yes. Central Chicago has a walkability score of 88 out of 100, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It ranks 13th of 15 cities in the United States and 151st of 252 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in the United States?
Philadelphia is the most walkable of the 15 cities ranked in the United States, with a score of 100. Chicago ranks 13th with 88.
How does Chicago compare with nearby cities?
Chicago is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: Chicago scores 88, against Toronto (94, 705 km away), Ottawa (97, 1041 km away) and Philadelphia (100, 1072 km away).
How is Chicago's walkability score calculated?
The score counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and deducts up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long. For Chicago it is the median of seven points within 1 km of the city centre, using open map data from Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
Scores follow a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. City position and population from GeoNames.