W 68th St / S May St median real estate price is $216,775, which is more expensive than 33.8% of the neighborhoods in Illinois and 24.2% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.
The average rental price in W 68th St / S May St is currently $1,682, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. Rents here are currently lower in price than 61.4% of Illinois neighborhoods.
W 68th St / S May St is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Chicago, Illinois.
W 68th St / S May St real estate is primarily made up of medium sized (three or four bedroom) to small (studio to two bedroom) small apartment buildings and single-family homes. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood are relatively historic, built no later than 1939, and in some cases, quite a bit earlier. A number of residences were also built between 1940 and 1969.
Vacant apartments or homes are a major fact of life in W 68th St / S May St. The current real estate vacancy rate here is 39.5%. This is higher than the rate of vacancies in 97.4% of all U.S. neighborhoods. In addition, most vacant housing here is vacant year round. This can sometimes be the case in neighborhoods dominated by new construction that is not yet occupied. But often neighborhoods with vacancy rates this high are places that can be plagued by a protracted vacancy problem. If you live here, you may find that a number of buildings in your neighborhood are actually empty.
When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.
Real Estate
Corner bodegas, stores on the first floor and apartments above, former grand Victorian residences converted into apartments, three-deckers built shoulder-to-shoulder, duplexes. Such building types define the real estate of neighborhoods dominated by small 2, 3, and 4 unit apartment buildings. Many are in older core neighborhoods of Eastern and Midwestern cities, or historic town centers in their hinterlands. If you wax romantic about the look and feel of such neighborhoods, with fresh pizza, falafel and an independent florist at the corner, then you might find the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood worth a close look. This neighborhood is an absolutely outstanding example of the dominance of small 2, 3, and 4 unit apartment buildings compared to neighborhoods across the nation, as they make up a substantial portion of this neighborhood's real estate stock. In fact, no less than 64.3% of the real estate here is made up of such dwellings, which is higher than 99.5% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
In addition, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 39.5% of the residential real estate vacant, the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 97.4% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.
Furthermore, even if you drive or take transit to your place of employment, many people enjoy being able to walk in their neighborhood. What many people don't realize is that most of America's premier vacation locations are also very walkable. The W 68th St / S May St neighborhood is among the top 5% of American neighborhoods in terms of walkability.
Also of note, do you watch 'This Old House' on Public Television? Do you love the idea of fixing up a Colonial or Victorian era home, complete with the charm of yesteryear? Do you like to stroll or drive streets lined with gracious older residences? If you found yourself nodding yes to any of these questions, you are going to be interested in this unique neighborhood. The W 68th St / S May St neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 65.4% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 97.7% of the neighborhoods in the United States.
Modes of Transportation
In the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood, many people's commute means walking from the bedroom to the home office. NeighborhoodScout's analysis found that 37.1% of residents worked from home. This may not seem like a large number, but Scout's research shows that this is a higher percentage of people working from home than 99.2% of the neighborhoods in America. Often people who work from home are engaged in the creative or technological economy, such as is found in areas around Boston, and in Silicon Valley. Other times, people may be engaged in other businesses like trading stocks from home, or running a small beauty salon.
Also, our research revealed that more commuters here take the bus to work (13.3% ride the bus) than 96.7% of all American neighborhoods. If you like the idea of leaving your car and home and hopping the bus to work, this might be a good neighborhood for you to consider.
Occupations
From major sales accounts to fast-food workers, sales and service employees are often the backbone of the local economy. In the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood, they truly stand out. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis identifies this neighborhood as having a higher percentage of sales and service workers than 98.4% of all American neighborhoods.
People
Single parenting is hard. But you don't have to tell the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood about it; they already know. 18.5% of this neighborhood's households are run by single mothers, which is a higher concentration than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.1% of American neighborhoods. Further NeighborhoodScout research showed strong statistical correlations among high rates of children living in single parent households, and neighborhood crime, particularly violent crime, neighborhood poverty, and, importantly, the percentage of low weight births and rates of infant mortality.
In addition, one of the unique characteristics of the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood revealed by analysis is that the per capita income of residents here is lower than that found in 95.5% of the neighborhoods in America. Also of note, 54.9% of the children in this area live in poverty; an extraordinarily high percentage compared to other neighborhoods in the nation. In a nation where approximately one in four children grows up in poverty, this neighborhood stands out for the depth of the problem manifested here.
Car Ownership
American households most often have a car, and regularly they have two or three. But households in the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood buck this trend. 21.2% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 95.6% of U.S. neighborhoods.
Diversity
Did you know that the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood has more African and Sub-Saharan African ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 23.9% of this neighborhood's residents have African ancestry and 25.6% have Sub-Saharan African ancestry.
There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.
The neighbors in the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood in Chicago are low income, making it among the lowest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 95.5% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 54.9% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 95.6% of U.S. neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood, 44.3% of the working population is employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 24.9% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (17.8%), and 12.9% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
Languages
The most common language spoken in the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood is English, spoken by 96.1% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (3.7%).
Ethnicity / Ancestry
Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.
In the W 68th St / S May St neighborhood in Chicago, IL, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Sub-Saharan African (25.6%). There are also a number of people of African ancestry (23.9%).
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in W 68th St / S May St neighborhood spend between 30 and 45 minutes commuting one-way to work (40.1% of working residents), which is at or a bit above the average length of a commute across all U.S. neighborhoods.
Here most residents (32.7%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also ride the bus to get to work (13.3%) and 13.2% of residents also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.
