The Sprawl Index
Chicago, IL

Overall Sprawl Index Score: 121.20
ranking it 68th most sprawling of 83 metro areas measured.
A lower score on the index indicates a greater degree of sprawl. The average score for all metros ranked is 100. A lower score indicates below average conditions among these 83 US metro areas: for example, less compact housing, a poorer mix of homes and jobs, poor street connectivity, or weaker than average town centers. A score above 100 indicates above average performance, when compared to the other metro areas ranked. Most metro areas score between 50 and 150 on the scale.

What Makes a Place Sprawling:
The sprawl index measured sprawl in four ways. Below are index scores for this metro area.
See the report for a full explanation of each factor. (will link to report) 

Sprawl Factor                                     index score          ranking out of 83
                                                                                (most to least sprawling)

Residential Density Factor                      142.90                         79
Mix of homes, jobs, & services                115.06                         56
Strength of town centers/downtowns      85.81                           23 
Accessibility of street network                134.87                         75





The Impact of Sprawl

Outcomes Affected by Sprawl in Chicago:
                                                                          
Peak 8-hour ozone level (parts per billion):                         83
Fatal accidents per 100,000 persons:                                7.90
Daily Miles Driven per person (DVMT):                                20.5
Average number of vehicles per household:                        1.44
Percent of commuters using Transit:                                 15.39 %
Percent commuters walking to work:                                 3.62 % 
Average Commute Time, in minutes:                                  32.02
Average Annual Traffic Delay in hours:                               27.35

2000 Population: 6,540,979


MSA is Metropolitan Statistical Area. For more information on MSAs, PMSAs, CMSAs, and NECMAs, see the Census Bureau.

To view a map of Metropolitan Statistical Areas from the Census Bureau, click here (pdf).