Chicago Ward, Community Area and Neighborhood Maps

Map files on this site use the PDF format, and can be viewed or downloaded with software such as Adobe Reader.

Ward Maps

Chicago has fifty wards. Each ward is a political district, and the voters in each ward are represented by an elected Alderman. The fifty Aldermen make up the Chicago City Council.

Ward boundaries change after each United States census in order to reflect population shifts within the city and to ensure that each ward has approximately the same population.

Community Area Maps

Chicago is divided into seventy-seven (77) Community Areas. These boundaries do not change over time (as political boundaries do), so that information about the city can be consistently collected and analyzed over long periods of time.

Neighborhood Map

Chicago neighborhood names and neighborhood boundaries can change over time. Different people may have different perspectives on the names and locations of specific neighborhoods.

City government does not recognize or use Chicago neighborhood boundaries for any official purposes

The only map of Chicago neighborhoods approved by the City Council was finalized in 1993, and was based on a survey conducted in 1978. The map that resulted from that process is the neighborhood map available here.