City Stories Index · United States · 2026 edition
Chicago vs Washington D.C.
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Chicago leads 3–2 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire; Washington D.C. is the planned capital.
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| What we measure | Chicago | Washington D.C. | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 94 | 63 | Chicago |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 293 | 344 | Chicago |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 11 | 12 | Washington D.C. |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 37 | 33 | Chicago |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 22 | 25 | Washington D.C. |
| 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, Washington D.C. in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
ChicagoWashington D.C.
33 places
arts & culture25 places
16 places
crime & dark history3 places
13 places
faith & churches4 places
13 places
parks & leisure8 places
12 places
legends & myths9 places
Chicago scorecard →
The city rebuilt after the fire
Washington D.C. scorecard →
The planned capital