Chicago vs Houston
Chicago, IL compared with Houston, TX · 937 miles apart
Chicago has 2,731,585 residents to Houston’s 2,397,315. Chicago comes out ahead on median household income, homeownership, bachelor's degree +. Houston does better on median rent, average commute, unemployment.
| Chicago, IL | Houston, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,731,585 | 2,397,315 |
| Density (per sq mi) | 11,994 | 3,741 |
| Median household income | $77,902 | $64,813 |
| Median home value | $334,100 | $277,800 |
| Median rent | $1,440 | $1,361 |
| Homeownership | 46% | 42.1% |
| Average commute | 33.1 min | 27.2 min |
| Median age | 35.8 | 34.4 |
| Bachelor's degree + | 44.3% | 36.6% |
| Poverty rate | 16.8% | 19.9% |
| Unemployment | 8% | 6.9% |
| Price to income | 4.3× | 4.3× |
| Clear days a year | 21 | 38 |
| Days above 90°F | 11 | 78 |
Highlighted where one city is clearly better on that measure. Population, density, home value and median age carry no highlight — a higher number there is good or bad depending on what you want.
Full profiles
- Chicago, ILClimate, crime, housing
- Houston, TXClimate, crime, housing