Jacksonville vs Chicago
A side-by-side comparison of Jacksonville, Florida and Chicago, Illinois — population, climate, cost of living, demographics, and more.
| Place | Florida, United States | Illinois, United States |
|---|---|---|
| Location | ||
| State / region | Florida | Illinois |
| Country | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Coordinates | 30.337, -81.662 | 41.837, -87.685 |
| Elevation | 11 m | 178 m |
| Timezone | Eastern Time Zone | — |
| Founded | 1791 | — |
| Size | ||
| Population | 1,009,831 | 2,721,326 |
| Land area | 747.3 mi² | 227.7 mi² |
| Water area | 127.2 mi² | 6.8 mi² |
| Density (per mi²) | 1,351 | 11,949 |
| Housing units | 449,941 | 1,282,248 |
| Demographics | ||
| Median age | 37.0 | 35.9 |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 48.7% | 36.5% |
| Black or African American | 29.5% | 26.3% |
| Asian | 5.2% | 7.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 13.9% | 30.2% |
| Economy & education | ||
| Median household income | $72,389 | $80,613 |
| Median home value | $325,300 | $341,200 |
| Bachelor's or higher | 34.4% | 46.4% |
| Poverty rate | 12.3% | 16.6% |
| Unemployment | 4.9% | 7.3% |
| Climate | ||
| Avg high temp | 79°F | 59°F |
| Avg low temp | 64°F | 45°F |
| Annual precipitation | 50.3 in | 45.7 in |
| Sunshine % of year | 68.0% | 55.0% |
| Annual solar (kWh/m²) | 1,750 | 1,403 |
| Air & environment | ||
| US AQI | 48 | 111 |
| Air quality category | Good | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 11.3 | 29.1 |
| PM10 (µg/m³) | 15.0 | 29.5 |
| Ozone (µg/m³) | 85.0 | 126.0 |
| NO₂ (µg/m³) | 3.7 | 4.7 |
| Wildlife species observed | 10 | 10 |
| Wildlife observations | 449,225 | 2,935,043 |
| Risk & hazards | ||
| Earthquakes (last 10y) | 0 | 6 |
| Largest earthquake (mag) | — | 3.8 |
| Active weather alerts | — | 2 |
| Health | ||
| Obesity | 34.8% | 32.9% |
| Diabetes | 12.3% | 12.4% |
| Smoking | 14.9% | 12.1% |
| Schools | ||
| Schools total | 152 | 711 |
| Elementary schools | 88 | 487 |
| Middle schools | 21 | 35 |
| High schools | 32 | 166 |
| Civic & interest | ||
| Mayor / leader | Donna Deegan | — |
| Sister cities | 8 | — |
| Notable people (Wikidata) | 16 | 16 |
| Books about this place | 8 | 8 |
| Wikipedia views (last 30d) | 48,184 | 8,687 |
| Overview | ||
| Summary | Jacksonville, colloquially nicknamed Jax, is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city consolidated in 1968. It is the tenth-most populous U.S. city and the largest city in the Southeast, with a population of 949,611 at the 2020 U.S. census. The Jacksonville metropolitan area, at over 1.76 million residents, is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Florida and 38th-largest in the United States. City-county consolidation greatly increased Jacksonville's official population and extended its boundaries, placing most of Duval County's population within the new municipal limits; Jacksonville grew to 900 square miles. It is the largest city by total area, land and water, in the contiguous United States. Wikipedia | Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the third-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.74 million at the 2020 census. The Chicago metropolitan area has 9.41 million residents and is the third-largest metropolitan area in the country. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, the second-most populous county in the U.S. Wikipedia |
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