What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for River West?
River West is ranked #16 of 179 eligible neighborhoods in Chicago; #27 of 261 eligible neighborhoods in IL; and #611 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
River West
Chicago, IL | Cook County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
75.2
Stability and Strength
79.0
Value Opportunity
74.0
Momentum
70.7
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Chicago, IL |
| County | Cook County |
| National rank | #611 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #27 of 261 |
| City rank | #16 of 179 |
| County rank | #19 of 190 |
| National percentile | 95.9 |
| National band | TOP_5_PERCENT |
Neighborhood Expert Opportunity
Become the Neighborhood Expert for this market
Inquire about this marketUnsold commercial placement. No local expert is currently assigned.
Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $828,755 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 6.5% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.27% |
| Home value to income ratio | 5.11 |
| Median household income | $162,313 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 91.3% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 1.1% |
| Homeownership rate | 34.8% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 5.1% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 27.4% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in River West
Is River West one of the best neighborhoods in Chicago?
River West has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 75.2 and a city ranking of #16 of 179 eligible neighborhoods in Chicago.
How much are homes worth in River West?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for River West is approximately $828,755.
Are home values rising or falling in River West?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 6.5% year over year and -0.27% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for River West?
River West has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 70.7. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in River West?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $162,313.
How affordable is River West relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 5.11. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is River West primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 34.8%.
What is the unemployment rate in River West?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 1.1%.
How educated are residents of River West?
Approximately 91.3% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in River West face high rent burden?
Approximately 27.4% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score River West?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications62
Estimated originations42
Home-purchase applications42
Origination rate68.1%
Home-purchase share67.7%
Average application loan$853,158
Total application loan amount$53,011,600
National application rank#6,345 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications -7.5% YoY; originations -1.9% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.