How Big Is Chicago?

Chicago Size Overview

Chicago covers an area of 606 km² (234 mi²) in USA, North America. Most populous city in Illinois, United States. The city is often called "The Windy City". To put this in perspective, Chicago is roughly the same size as Seoul. In more relatable units, that's about 85,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Central Park, or 10 times the area of Manhattan.

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 seat of Cook County, the second-most populous county in the U.S.

With a population of 2.7 million (9.5 million in the metropolitan area), Chicago has a population density of 4,455 people per km². The greater Chicago metropolitan area extends to 28,160 km².

Chicago has a history stretching back to 1833. The city is renowned for Willis Tower, Millennium Park Bean, Navy Pier, and Chicago deep-dish pizza.

Chicago has a humid continental climate, with summer temperatures averaging 23°C and winters around -3°C. The city's main public transit system is the CTA (L train).