City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Chicago vs Philadelphia
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 3–3. Character is a different question: Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire; Philadelphia is the city where the republic began.
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| What we measure | Chicago | Philadelphia | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 94 | 58 | Chicago |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 293 | 329 | Chicago |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 11 | 13 | Philadelphia |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 37 | 90 | Philadelphia |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 22 | 24 | Philadelphia |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | 1 | Chicago |
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, Philadelphia in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
ChicagoPhiladelphia
33 places
arts & culture3 places
16 places
crime & dark history9 places
13 places
faith & churches7 places
13 places
parks & leisure0 places
12 places
legends & myths6 places
6 places
guilds & trade6 places
Chicago scorecard →
The city rebuilt after the fire
Philadelphia scorecard →
The city where the republic began