Chicago vs. The Big Leagues: How Our Health Really Stacks Up

Chicago is a great city. Period. But greatness means calling out the plays that hurt the team—quiet exposures, policy delays, and lifestyle trends that chip away at health. Below is a straight-shooting look at where Chicago stands on chronic disease, environmental stressors, autism trends, and the everyday factors we flagged in our “War on Health”—compared with other major cities—so you can make better decisions for you and your family.

The Scoreboard (Fast Facts)

• Diabetes: Chicago adults are at ~12.2% prevalence (2022), slightly worse than the average across comparable U.S. cities (11.6%). New York City reports ~11% overall (2022). cityhealthdashboard.com+2cityhealthdashboard.com+2

• Life expectancy: In 2023 Chicago rebounded to 78.7 years, but the city still shows a large racial gap (Black: 71.8; White: 81.3; Latino: 82.7; Asian & Pacific Islander: 86.8). Our neighborhood gaps remain among the nation’s starkest. Chicago+2Medical Xpress+2

• Air quality: The American Lung Association lists the Chicago metro among the worst U.S. areas for ozone and particle pollution; IQAir’s annual reports have flagged Chicago’s elevated PM2.5 relative to many large U.S. cities. American Lung Association+2American Lung Association+2

• Lead pipes: Chicago has more lead service lines than any other U.S. city—roughly 400k+ lines—amplifying risk for kids; a 2024 JAMA Pediatrics analysis estimated ~129,000 Chicago children under six exposed to lead-tainted water. WBEZ+2Environmental Defense Fund+2

• Autism (national context): U.S. CDC surveillance shows prevalence at ~1 in 31 8-year-olds (2022). Comparable city-by-city autism rates are limited; Chicago-specific surveillance is not part of every CDC site cycle, so we lean on national/Illinois indicators. CDC+1

• Autoimmune disease (national context): NIH estimates range from ~23.5 million to ~50 million Americans living with autoimmune conditions; newer EHR-based work suggests ~4.6% of the U.S. population has a diagnosed autoimmune disease. City-level comparisons are sparse. ORWH+2ORWH+2

Chronic Disease: Where Chicago Edges Higher

Diabetes is a bellwether. Chicago adult diabetes prevalence was ~12.2% in 2022, compared with 11.6% across Dashboard cities and ~11% in NYC—meaning we’re slightly above big-city peers. That matters because diabetes amplifies cardiovascular risk and health-care costs. cityhealthdashboard.com+2cityhealthdashboard.com+2

Why the edge? Part is neighborhood-level disadvantage (food access, greenspace, safety) that shapes activity, sleep, and stress. National reviews link neighborhood conditions and violence exposure with higher cardiovascular risk over time—patterns urban planners and clinicians increasingly treat as modifiable “social exposures.” AHA Journals+1

What about other chronic conditions? CDC’s PLACES and City Health Dashboard let us compare cities on hypertension, COPD, depression and more; Chicago typically tracks near or slightly above large-city averages, with within-city disparities bigger than between-city gaps. Translation: your ZIP code can matter as much as your city. CDC+1

Life Expectancy: Chicago’s Comeback—and Its Gap

Chicago’s average life expectancy rebounded to 78.7 years (2023) after the pandemic dip. That’s good news. The tougher truth: the Black–White gap is ~10.6 years, and our neighborhood spread (Streeterville vs. Englewood) remains one of the widest seen in U.S. cities. Cities like NYC and LA have disparities too, but Chicago’s block-by-block swing is notorious. Keeping Chicago great means closing that gap. Chicago+2Medical Xpress+2

Environment: Air, Water, and the Invisible Load

Air quality: The American Lung Association’s 2024 and 2025 “State of the Air” analyses rank the Chicago metro among the nation’s worst for ozone and particulate spikes—placing us in the same hard-breathing conversation as LA, Phoenix, and parts of California’s Central Valley. Annual PM2.5 reporting from IQAir also shows elevated fine particle levels relative to WHO guidelines. Ozone + PM2.5 drive asthma flares, heart strain, and fatigue—that “why am I so wiped?” feeling after a bad-air day. American Lung Association+2American Lung Association+2

Lead pipes: Chicago still leads the league—just not the way we want—on lead service lines. Newer estimates suggest ~412,000 of ~491,000 lines need replacement. A 2024 analysis estimated ~129k Chicago children <6 exposed—an exposure linked to learning issues and lower lifetime earnings. NYC and LA have lead challenges, but no other U.S. city carries a lead burden at this scale. Action here is the biggest single lever for kids’ brain health. WBEZ+1

Autism & Autoimmunity: What We Know (and Don’t) City-to-City

• Autism: CDC’s latest surveillance puts U.S. prevalence at ~1 in 31 children (8-year-olds). Because ADDM sites rotate and don’t cover every metro uniformly, city-level comparisons (Chicago vs. NYC/LA) are limited. Bottom line: national trends are rising; local service access and early screening are where cities can compete to win. CDC

• Autoimmune disease: Depending on the method, estimates range from ~4.6% diagnosed (15M people) to 23.5–50M Americans affected. Comparable, apples-to-apples city data are scarce. For Chicagoans, that means focusing on triggers we can control (sleep, stress load/pollution reduction, nutrition, infections), and on early recognition. PMC+1

“War on Health” Factors—How They Play Out in Big Cities

Chronic stress & safety: Exposure to violence and unsafe neighborhoods correlates with higher cardiovascular risk—via stress pathways, poor sleep, and reduced outdoor activity. That’s not political spin; it’s in the literature. Stronger public safety + greening + walkability = better blood pressure and heart health over time. PMC+1

Social-media overload: Across reviews and cohort studies, heavier or problematic social media use is linked to higher depression/anxiety in youth. Not every minute online is “bad,” but compulsive patterns matter most—sleep loss and mood swings follow. Cities win here by driving digital-wellness literacy through schools and clubs. Parents win with device boundaries after dark. PMC+2ScienceDirect+2

Air & water policy follow-through: Cities that moved faster on lead replacement and PM2.5/ozone controls (filters in schools, clean-construction rules, freight corridors, tree canopy) bank health gains. Chicago is moving—but the scale of our lead problem means urgency matters more here than in peer cities. American Lung Association+1

How Chicago Compares—Bottom Line

• Slightly higher chronic disease burden than many large U.S. cities, with bigger internal disparities than most. cityhealthdashboard.com+1

• Air quality and lead are two outsized, fixable exposures where Chicago can make citywide impact relative to peers. American Lung Association+1

• Autism and autoimmunity are rising nationally; city-to-city comparisons are limited, so local wins come from screening access, cleaner environments, and lowering everyday inflammatory load. CDC+1

Playbook: What Chicagoans Can Do Right Now

1. Filter & flush: If you’re in an older building, use an NSF-certified lead filter and run cold water before use—especially for formula and kids’ drinks. Push landlords/associations on service-line replacement. Health

   
   

2. Air-aware days: Check AQI, move intense workouts indoors on orange/red days, and aim for indoor HEPA in bedrooms. (Ozone/PM2.5 are performance killers.) American Lung Association

   
   

3. Metabolic basics: Prioritize muscle-centric training, post-meal walking, protein-forward meals, and 7–9 hours sleep—simple moves that cut diabetes risk regardless of ZIP code. (This is how you out-train the city average.) cityhealthdashboard.com

   
   

4. Digital curfew for teens: Phones out of bedrooms; model it. Target habits, not raw minutes. JAMA Network

   
   

5. Neighborhood health stack: Vote with your feet and wallet for safer blocks, parks, and fresh-food access. Public safety and green space aren’t “nice to have”—they’re blood-pressure interventions. AHA Journals

What GOAT Wellness Is Doing

GOAT Wellness exists to reduce the health load modern city life places on the body. While we can’t control Chicago’s air, water, or pace, we can control how the body responds to them.

Our approach focuses on supporting the systems most affected by urban stress:

• Nervous system regulation to reduce chronic stress signaling

• Lymphatic circulation to improve fluid movement and waste clearance

• Inflammation control to protect joints, tissue, and long-term recovery

• Consistent recovery inputs that compound over time—not quick fixes

Every service we offer is selected to counteract the specific pressures Chicagoans face daily. No guesswork. No trends. Just systems-based recovery that helps the body adapt, recover, and perform better in a demanding environment.