10 Richest Neighborhoods in Chicago (Updated 2023) (2024)

Chicago may have a bad reputation when it comes to crime, but no one can deny that it's got some great neighborhoods. Choose the right one, and you'll be blessed with all the benefits of big city living, with precious few of its downsides. The bad news? None of the richest neighborhoods in Chicago for free.

What Chicago's best neighborhoods lack in gun crime and drug trafficking, they make up for in huge median home values and a cost of living that'll make your jaw drop. If you dream of consorting with some modern-day Rockefellers, you might want to check out these ten richest neighborhoods in Chicago.

10. Mount Greenwood

Mount Greenwood is a neighborhood in Chicago with a population of almost 24,000 people. Due to the presence of cemeteries, it is also known as Seven Holy Tombs. Mount Greenwood is blessed with a good selection of amenities, a fine collection of accommodation options, good schools, pretty parks, and some outstanding eateries. Sound like your kind of neighborhood? Then get ready to dig deep.... but not too deep.

9. Near North Side

If you want to live in a safe, pleasant neighborhood with plenty of amenities, green spaces, and recreational opportunities, you'd do well to consider Near North Side. It is definitely the most walkable and livable neighborhood in the city with access to transportation.

If you want to consider living in this neighborhood, there is some information you need to know. According to Point2homes, oder to blend in with the rest of residents of this one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Chicago, you'll need to be earning upwards of $174,274 a year.

You'll also need to be able to take the median home value in your stride - something that may sound easy enough to do, until you learn most single-family homes here sell for a whopping $434,335.

8. Loop

Loop is the heart of Chicago with 37 674 residents. It is considered one of the richest neighborhoods in Chicago and one of the best places to live in the state of Illinois.

It is fair to assume though that not every member of the neighborhood is rolling in cash. However, there are enough that are to put its median household income at an enviable $201,890. As is so often the case, the high incomes go hand in hand with high property prices - if you want to make Loop your next home, expect to part with around $331,150 for a single-family home.

7. Beverly

In comparison to some other richest neighborhoods in Chicago, a home in Beverly is relatively affordable. Being a bucolic and beautiful area in the city with architecturally significant homes, Beverly is called the "village in the city". The population of this neighborhood is over 20,000 people.

Although there's plenty of million-dollar residences to consider in this neighborhood, there are enough options on the lower end of the scale to keep the median home value at a reasonable $289,660.But don't be fooled. Unless you want to stick out like a sore thumb, you'd better be pulling in a decent income. According to Best Neighborhoods, most residents here are earning an average household income of $115,010, a figure that easily makes it one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Chicago.

6. Edison Park

Edison Park is a quaint neighborhood in the city that was formerly known as Canfield. It is well known for a great variety of green parks, magnificent dining district, and convenient proximity to O'Hara International Airport. It also boats some great local businesses and a history that's among the most distinguished in the city. This all makes Edison Park one of the richest neighborhoods in Chicago.

As you'd expect, none of that comes for free. According to Redfin, the median home price in Edison Park in September 2023 was $381K, which is the highest in the city.

Fortunately, you won't have too many problems in making your mortgage payments (at least if you're anything like the average Edison Park resident) thanks to a median income that sits just below the $100,000 mark.

5. North Centre

According to Home Snacks, the average household in North Centre is earning the stonking annual income of $99,384. In fairness, they'd need to be - living in North Centre might be nice and lovely and all kinds of wonderful, but it's certainly not cheap. Yes, living in this one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Chicago costs a premium If you intend to buy a single-family home here, you can expect to come out of the deal $545,871 poorer.

Fortunately, the high cost of living is compensated by an equally high standard of living. Lucky residents can expect a score of first-class eateries, chic little boutiques, a tiny unemployment rate, and an even tinier crime rate.

4. Gold Coast

Considering its name, you wouldn't expect the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago to be anything but stinking rich. And indeed, it's not. The historic district was developed in the 1880s by millionaire Potter Palmer, who kicked things off by building the 42 room, castle-like construction known as Palmer Mansion.

Other wealthy Chicagoans followed his example and started flocking to the new neighborhood, quickly turning it into one of the most desirable zip codes in the city. Today, its elite status is still very much intact - if you want to feel at home in this one of the richest neighborhoods in Chicago, you'd better have a couple of million stashed away in your bank account.

3. Lincoln Park

If one of the richest people in Chicago decides to invest $22 million in building a 7200 square foot mansion in a particular area of the city, you can take it as read that Lincoln Park is one of the most desirable and wealthiest neighborhoods in Chicago.

As dreamtown.com writes, that's exactly what billionaire Joe Mansueto, CEO of Morningstar Inc., proved when he built “Morningstar Mansion” in Lincoln Park. He's not the first rich man to move into the neighborhood, and he's unlikely to be the last. As of 2021, the median household income is $99,720.

2. Streeterville

Streeterville is a stunning neighborhood in Chicago located north of the heart of downtown. This neighborhood has so much to offer and experience: the provocative Museum of Contemporary Art, historic Navy Pier, the Chicago's Children Museum, multiple gift shops, and more.According to point2homes.com, the average household in Streeterville is bringing in the very respectable median income of $117,344. As we've got no reason to doubt them, we're going to say that alone is enough to make Streeterville one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Chicago. A median home value in this exclusive area is $576,600.

1. Forest Glen

Forestglenchicago.org describes Forest Glen as "a gem of a neighborhood" that "boasts the convenience of the city with the peacefulness of the suburbs and the neighborliness of the country." They might be right. But what they've neglected to mention is that anyone who chooses to live here should be prepared to spend a big chunk of their income on accommodation.

The median home price in this one of the richest neighborhoods in Chicago is over $441K. Rental properties are few and far between (the community contains just over 500 households, the vast majority of which are single-family homes), and even if you do find one, the monthly rental cost is likely to floor you. Fortunately, most residents are earning enough money ($105,080 per year per household, by the latest reckoning) not to have to worry.

FAQs About The Richest Neighborhoods In Chicago

Here are the answers to the most common questions about the most expensive neighborhoods in Chicago:

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