The 50 richest stations of the Chicago 'L'
CTA stations ranked by the median household income of the census tract they sit in.
Where the money is on the Chicago network
Every station the survey could price, coloured by the income around it, over the city's own streets.
Distribution across the 141 stations the survey could price.
Colour runs on rank, not on the raw figure, so the ramp is spent evenly across the network. The wash under the lines spreads that colour between neighbouring stations, so the pattern reads at a glance. Dot size is annual ridership. Hover a station for its numbers. Zoom in for the dense middle of the network: pinch, use the +/- buttons, or double-click, then drag to pan.
- 1
Armitage
BP$206,304 - 2
Fullerton
RBP$206,304 - 3
Ashland
GP$192,608 - 4
Morgan
GP$192,608 - 5
Diversey
BP$191,051 - 6
Western (O'Hare)
B$184,727 - 7
Damen
B$178,434 - 8
Division
B$178,434
- 9
Chicago (Brown/Purple)
BP$164,091 - 10
Merchandise Mart
BP$164,091 - 11
Adams/Wabash
BGOPP$162,143 - 12
Lake
R$162,021 - 13
State/Lake
BGOPP$162,021 - 14
Washington/Wabash
BGOPP$162,021 - 15
Chicago (Blue)
B$160,370 - 16
Grand (Blue)
B$160,370 - 17
Grand
R$157,623 - 18
Chicago
R$151,626 - 19
Linden
P$142,500 - 20
Clinton
GP$136,378
- 21
Southport
B$133,000 - 22
Clinton (Blue)
B$131,803 - 23
UIC-Halsted
B$131,803 - 24
Oak Park (Blue)
B$131,042 - 25
Addison
R$127,872 - 26
Paulina
B$125,139 - 27
Clark/Lake
BBGOPP$122,978 - 28
Harold Washington Library-State/Van Buren
BOPP$122,978 - 29
Jackson
R$122,978 - 30
Jackson (Blue)
B$122,978 - 31
LaSalle
B$122,978 - 32
LaSalle/Van Buren
BOPP$122,978 - 33
Monroe
R$122,978 - 34
Monroe (Blue)
B$122,978 - 35
Quincy
BOPP$122,978 - 36
Washington
B$122,978 - 37
Washington/Wells
BOPP$122,978 - 38
Austin (Blue)
B$122,014 - 39
Main
P$120,809 - 40
South Boulevard
P$120,809 - 41
35th-Bronzeville-IIT
G$116,875 - 42
Addison (Blue)
B$114,861 - 43
Harrison
R$110,306 - 44
Roosevelt
ROG$110,306 - 45
Harlem (O'Hare)
B$109,564 - 46
Addison (Brown)
B$109,188 - 47
Irving Park (Brown)
B$109,188 - 48
Montrose
B$107,137 - 49
Rockwell
B$105,400 - 50
Dempster
P$105,231
The income shown is the median household income of the census tract containing the station (American Community Survey 2018-2022, table B19013, in current dollars). It describes the surrounding neighborhood, not the riders. The top of the ranking is a tight ring around the centre: Lincoln Park on the Brown and Purple lines (Armitage, Fullerton, Diversey), the Near West Side on the Green and Pink lines (Ashland, Morgan), West Town and Logan Square on the Blue Line, the Near North Side, and the Loop itself. Linden, at the far north end of the Purple Line in Wilmette, is the only suburban entry near the top. The gap between this list and the poorest one is a factor of 15.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year 2018-2022 (B19013_001E), Census Geocoder for station-to-tract mapping, CTA (station positions).