Los Angeles to Chicago distance

Los Angeles to Chicago by road

The fastest driving route is 2,019 miles (3,249 km) long and takes about 35 hr 25 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on I-80 (662 mi), I-70 (501 mi), and I-15 (469 mi).

It crosses 8 states: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. The longest stretch is in Colorado, at 454 mi. That’s an average of 57 mph (92 km/h). AAA recommends a break every two hours or 100 miles: with 17 stops of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 41 hr 5 min. At about 8 hours behind the wheel a day, it’s a 5-day drive. The time is OSRM’s estimate with OpenStreetMap data: no traffic and speeds somewhat below the limits, so real trips can differ.

Straight-line distance and bearing

In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Los Angeles and Chicago are 1,744 miles (2,807 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 16% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 116. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 40 US pairs in this series, it ranks 14th for detour (the average is 14%).

From Los Angeles, Chicago lies to the northeast (bearing 63°), and from Chicago, Los Angeles lies to the west. The straight line reaches Chicago on a bearing of 82°: on a sphere the bearing keeps changing along the way, which is why the shortest route looks slightly curved on a flat map.

Halfway between Los Angeles and Chicago

Halfway along the straight line, 872 miles (1,404 km) from each city, is the point 38.9601° N, 103.7764° W. It falls near Matheson (Colorado, pop. 34), 18.0 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Four Square Mile (Colorado, pop. 23,024), 77.5 mi away.

By road, the halfway point is 1,010 miles (1,625 km) from each city, near Fairmount (Colorado, pop. 9,902), 2.5 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Four Square Mile (Colorado, pop. 23,024), 14.7 mi away. The two midpoints are 91.8 mi apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

Time difference and flight

Chicago is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles all year (Central Time versus Pacific Time): when it’s 12:00 in Los Angeles, it’s 14:00 in Chicago.

A direct flight would take about 4 hr. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 2,807 km straight line at 800 km/h (about 497 mph), a typical airliner cruising speed. Real schedules depend on wind, routing and airports, and not every pair has a direct flight. Westbound flights usually take a little longer than eastbound ones because of high-altitude winds (the jet stream).

The two cities

Los Angeles sits at 284 ft (87 m) and Chicago at 588 ft (179 m), 304 ft (93 m) higher.

Los Angeles has 3.9 million people and Chicago 2.7 million people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025).