Where do North Center’s Wealthiest Live?

It’s no surprise that household income in North Center and Roscoe Village is well above the state's average, but certain blocks in the community are far wealthier than others.

It’s all broken down by the website Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks, an online tool that combines Google Maps with the most recent Census data to show income and rent prices in every neighborhood in America.

According to the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey from 2007-2011, the richest people in town live south of Belmont Avenue to Diversey Parkway, and west of Ravenswood Avenue to Damen Avenue. The median household income there is about $135,000.

That’s compared to Illinois’ middle-class household income ranging between $48,000 and $59,000.

"Audubon Elementary School became the best school in the area, and once they won the Blue Ribbon Award, people became interested in living here."

Consequently, the poorest households in North Center are on the other side of the community. Reportedly earning about $64,000 annually, the people living south of Montrose Avenue to Irving Park Road and west of Damen Avenue to Western Avenue earn the least money in town.

The breakdown by Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks is done by Census Tract. The average household income for all tracts in North Center is about $89,000 earned annually, still well above the state’s middle-class range.

And according to Roscoe Village real estate broker Charisse David with Mernard Johnson, the shift toward wealthier residents happened fairly recently.

“When I moved here in 2001, it was just taking off,” David said. “They started building homes in 1997, and that’s when this area really became a spot where developers said, ‘You know what? Let’s build this neighborhood.’ By 2004 you saw a lot more homes and retailers coming in here, but what really drove the community was schools. Audubon Elementary School became the best school in the area, and once they won the Blue Ribbon Award, people became interested in living here.”

Audubon now sits in the Census Tract with a median income of $115,000.

Although there’s a drastic difference between the richest and poorest blocks in North Center, it’s nothing compared to blocks just a stone’s throw from the community’s borders. In Uptown, near the corner of Lawrence Avenue and North Broadway, the median household income is just $17,800, the website reports.

Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks also looks at the median monthly rent costs. Residents renting apartments south of Addison Street to Roscoe Street and between Damen and Leavitt Street are paying the most at about $1,300 per month. Renters around Hamlin Park are paying the least, with a median around $791, but that Census Tract includes parts of Lathrop Homes. 

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