Elevation of Chicago
588ft
above sea level · 179 m
Chicago is a city in Illinois with 2,731,585 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 45th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 41.85° N · 87.65° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 41° 51′ 0″ N · 87° 39′ 0″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 16T · 446,038 E · 4,633,330 N
- Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 2,731,585 people
- 228 sq mi of land · 11,994 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from June 2017: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Chicago had 2,731,585 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.6% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 2,748,333. Its 228 sq mi of land work out to 11,994 people/sq mi; the state average is 229 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 1,461 places the Census counts in Illinois (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 21% of the state’s population.
The city spreads across 2 counties. By population: Cook County (2,731,585); no one lives in its part of DuPage County. Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Cook County.
Compared with other big cities
Chicago sits at 588 ft (179 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Chicago is 270 ft below it.
The state capital, Springfield, is 176 mi away in a straight line and 12 ft higher than Chicago.
The highest point in Illinois is Charles Mound, at 1,235 ft according to the USGS: 647 ft above Chicago, 140 mi away in a straight line.
- 45 Chicago 588 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Chicago.
What is the elevation of Chicago?
Chicago is 588 feet (179 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Chicago?
Latitude 41.85003 and longitude -87.65005, in decimal degrees (41° 51′ 0″ N · 87° 39′ 0″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 446,038 E and 4,633,330 N, on NAD83.
How does Chicago rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 45th highest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Chicago in?
Several: Cook County and DuPage County. Most of its people live in Cook County.
Which is higher, Chicago or Springfield?
Springfield. Chicago sits at 588 ft and Springfield at 600 ft: a difference of 12 ft, 176 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know