City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Chicago vs New York City
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, New York City leads 3–1 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire; New York City is the island of arrivals.
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| What we measure | Chicago | New York City | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 94 | 369 | New York City |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 293 | 291 | tie |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 11 | 99 | New York City |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 37 | 75 | New York City |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 22 | 20 | Chicago |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | 2 | tie |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Chicago in orange, New York City in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
ChicagoNew York City
33 places
arts & culture122 places
13 places
parks & leisure57 places
12 places
legends & myths41 places
5 places
industry & modern era40 places
16 places
crime & dark history35 places
13 places
faith & churches24 places
Chicago scorecard →
The city rebuilt after the fire
New York City scorecard →
The island of arrivals