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The most walkable neighborhoods in Chicago
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
20 neighborhoods of Chicago ranked by walkability, each scored across the area around its own center. The Magnificent Mile and the Chicago Loop share the top score of 98/100, then the Gold Coast Historic District (96) and Near North Side (95). All 20 score 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot, and the lowest we rank is Austin (76).
| # | Neighborhood | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnificent Mile | 98 |
| 1 | Chicago Loop | 98 |
| 3 | Gold Coast Historic District | 96 |
| 4 | Near North Side | 95 |
| 5 | Wicker Park | 94 |
| 6 | Chinatown | 92 |
| 6 | Avondale | 92 |
| 6 | Logan Square | 92 |
| 9 | Near West Side | 91 |
| 9 | Lake View | 91 |
| 11 | Little Italy | 90 |
| 11 | Lincoln Park | 90 |
| 13 | Uptown | 88 |
| 13 | Ukrainian Village | 88 |
| 15 | Hyde Park | 85 |
| 16 | Bridgeport | 82 |
| 16 | Near South Side | 82 |
| 18 | Portage Park | 77 |
| 18 | Kenwood | 77 |
| 20 | Austin | 76 |
"From the center" is the distance from Chicago's busiest point to the neighborhood's center. "Area scoring 70+" is the share of points across the neighborhood where most errands can be done on foot.
The top 5 up close
Magnificent Mile
The Magnificent Mile is the most central of these five, 950 m north-east of Chicago's busiest point, and scores 98/100. It has the most shops of the five: 1,553 within a 30 minute walk, the nearest Cole Haan, about a minute away. More on the Magnificent Mile.
Chicago Loop
The Chicago Loop scores 98/100, 950 m south of Chicago's busiest point. None of the others has as many banks, with 249 in a 30 minute walk; Chase is the nearest, about a minute away. More on the Chicago Loop.
Gold Coast Historic District
The Gold Coast Historic District scores 96/100, 1.7 km north of Chicago's busiest point. 2,423 everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of its middle, the nearest grocery about 5 minutes away. 96% of its area scores 70 or more.
Near North Side
Near North Side scores 95/100, 1.1 km north of Chicago's busiest point. 4,056 everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of its middle, the nearest grocery about 4 minutes away.
Wicker Park
Wicker Park lies the furthest out of these five, 4.4 km north-west of Chicago's busiest point, and scores 94/100. None of the others has as many schools, with 53 in a 30 minute walk; Children's Learning Place is the nearest, about 3 minutes away. It has the fewest libraries and bookshops of the five, 20.
Center and outskirts
The 6 neighborhoods within 3 km of Chicago's center average 95, and the 14 further out average 86, so walkability falls away from the center. The nearest to the center, the Magnificent Mile, 950 m away, scores 98, and the farthest, Portage Park, 13.3 km out, scores 77.
Each dot is a ranked neighborhood, numbered by rank and colored by score, placed by its distance and direction from the center of Chicago.
Chicago as a whole scores 91 out of 100 across the 5 km around its center. Other cities in the United States with ranked neighborhoods: New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, San Diego.
Questions about Chicago's neighborhoods
What is the most walkable neighborhood in Chicago?
2 of the 20 neighborhoods we rank in Chicago tie as the most walkable, each with a walkability score of 98 out of 100 (Walker's Paradise): the Magnificent Mile and the Chicago Loop.
How are Chicago's neighborhoods ranked?
Each neighborhood is scored at points 100 m to 500 m apart across a circle around its center, sized to its area, and its score is the mean of those points. Each point's score counts the groceries, restaurants, shops, schools, parks and other everyday places within a 30 minute walk, as described in the methodology. Chicago scores 91 across the 5 km around its center.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. Neighborhoods and where they lie from Overture Maps and Wikidata.