Energy score
Clean-energy readiness, grid resilience, and solar or efficiency opportunity signals.
Energy in Chicago76/100
Energy
Energy Readiness in Chicago
Chicago has solid grid reliability with strong wind resource in the region and growing building-efficiency activity. Energy in Chicago scores 76/100, placing it in the solid group of the indexed set.
- Last updated
- 2026-05-16
- Data year
- 2025
- Module score
- 76/100
Energy readiness
76/100
Solid baseline with regional renewable strength.
Primary transition lever
Wind and efficiency
Regional wind and building retrofits are the main levers.
Climate stressor
Heat and rainfall
Rising heat and intense rainfall shape adaptation work.
Chicago energy data table
This HTML table mirrors the visible score cards so important comparison data is never trapped in a browser-only chart.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Energy readiness | 76/100 | Wind resource is among the strongest in the country. |
| Primary transition lever | Wind and efficiency | Federal funds support efficiency programs. |
| Climate stressor | Heat and rainfall | Drainage programs are central. |
Energy city comparison
A crawlable comparison across a selection of same-country and top-scoring cities. The complete set is reachable via the rankings, the cities index, and each city profile.
| City | Score | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago (this page) | 76/100 | Chicago has solid grid reliability with strong wind resource in the region and growing building-efficiency activity. |
| Seattle | 90/100 | Seattle operates with a low-carbon electricity baseline led by hydropower, with active building and transport electrification work. |
| San Francisco | 86/100 | San Francisco operates with active climate policy, a comparatively low-carbon grid, and strong building-efficiency programs. |
| New York | 82/100 | New York has serious clean-energy ambition and infrastructure complexity, with resilience shaped by coastal risk and dense demand. |
| Saint Paul | 81/100 | Saint Paul's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Chandler | 81/100 | Chandler's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Irvine | 81/100 | Irvine's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Fremont | 81/100 | Fremont's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| San Bernardino | 81/100 | San Bernardino's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Los Angeles | 80/100 | Los Angeles benefits from strong solar resource, ambitious state-level transition policy, and active building and transport electrification. |
| Irving | 80/100 | Irving's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Santa Clarita | 80/100 | Santa Clarita's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Scottsdale | 79/100 | Scottsdale's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Santa Ana | 79/100 | Santa Ana's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Oyster Bay | 79/100 | Oyster Bay's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Portland | 78/100 | Portland's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Plano | 78/100 | Plano's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Conroe | 78/100 | Conroe's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Laredo | 77/100 | Laredo's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Garland | 77/100 | Garland's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Bloomington | 77/100 | Bloomington's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Denver | 76/100 | Denver's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Phoenix | 76/100 | Phoenix's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| San Diego | 76/100 | San Diego's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Glendale | 75/100 | Glendale's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| San Jose | 74/100 | San Jose's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Tacoma | 74/100 | Tacoma's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Boston | 74/100 | Boston's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Minneapolis | 74/100 | Minneapolis's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Boulder | 74/100 | Boulder's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
| Henderson | 74/100 | Henderson's energy-readiness profile is a directional indicator that combines national policy framing with city-level adaptation context. |
Interpretation
Energy readiness scoring weighs grid context, transition strategy, and adaptation. Midwest wind resource and state policy support the score. Across the indexed cities the energy average is 64/100, so Chicago is 12 points above the median. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-16. Drawn from 3 institutional references.
Read this module with the main open the chicago city profile and the read the scoring methodology page so single-topic pages do not hide tradeoffs across dimensions.
Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation. Verified datasets are being integrated; official sources should be used for critical decisions.
Sources
3 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Structured indicators on this page are directional and intended for orientation; verified datasets are being integrated and official sources should be used for critical decisions.
- NASA: NASA POWER
Used as an energy-resource and weather-normalization reference.
- IPCC: AR6 WGII Chapter 6: Cities, settlements and key infrastructure
Used to explain urban climate vulnerability and adaptation scoring logic.
- International Energy Agency: Empowering Urban Energy Transitions
Used to ground energy-readiness scoring in international transition guidance.
Continue exploring
These links connect module pages back to city, ranking, and sibling topic paths with crawlable href values.
Chicago city profile
Return to the complete Chicago profile with all module scores and source context.
Cost of Living in Chicago
Affordability, essential costs, and day-to-day financial pressure for residents.
Air Quality in Chicago
Health-oriented air-quality conditions with context from WHO, EEA, and EPA benchmarks.
Safety in Chicago
Personal safety, institutional trust, and resilience signals informed by international safety and crime data.
Internet Speed in Chicago
Broadband and mobile connectivity quality, latency, and digital-readiness signals for residents and remote workers.
Climate Risk in Chicago
Climate exposure, hazard frequency, and adaptation context for floods, heat, storms, and wildfires.
Overall Intelligence
A balanced ranking of cities across affordability, air quality, clean-energy readiness, and resilience.
Quality of Life
Cities that combine strong services, mobility, safety, clean air, and resilience into a healthy day-to-day profile.