Cook County, IL

Within the selected Cook County direct-evidence records, Zillow’s June 2026 ZORI—a typical observed asking-rent index—runs from $1,425 to $2,958, a $1,533 spread, with a $2,151.50 median. The range is wide around the county ZORI of $2,336, rather than a tight local band. A county figure therefore cannot settle a ZIP-level search. The practical decision is whether the current asking-rent band for a specific unit fits the household’s monthly budget and bedroom need, not whether that unit merely resembles the county reference. ZORI supplies a market reference, not a quoted lease price or a guarantee that a particular unit is available.

Three evidence systems should remain separate. The available ACS 2024 five-year ZCTA median-gross-rent estimates span $1,107 to $2,089; they are survey estimates of gross rent, not current advertised rents. FY 2026 HUD two-bedroom FMRs span $1,500 to $2,670 and are bedroom-specific administrative standards rather than asking rents. The supplied ZORI-to-HUD two-bedroom comparisons range from 88.6% to 125.2%, useful for seeing how these two reference systems differ but not for averaging them or treating either as an attainable listing price. Compare the appropriate measure to the decision at hand: market search, surveyed housing cost, or program standard.

ACS ZCTA conditions provide an affordability and occupancy screen, not a live inventory count. Renter share ranges from 49.6% to 74.9%, vacancy from 5.6% to 14.5%, and the share of renters paying at least 30% of income toward gross rent from 34.5% to 50.8%. These ranges do not produce a simple bargain ranking: a higher survey vacancy rate does not by itself establish lower current asking rent, more comparable units, or less household strain. As a separate mechanical ZORI screen, the annual income needed at a 30% rent-to-income threshold runs from $57,000 to $118,320. It is not the ACS burden measure, because the index, household incomes, and unit mix are not the same evidence universe.

Boundary and coverage limits are material. The display contains 12 of 117 eligible direct-ZORI ZIP/ZCTA matches, selected by renter-household ordering and covering 240,434 renter households, so it is not a countywide inventory. For Cook County, the ACS values attach to Census ZCTAs, while the similarly named mail-delivery ZIP can follow a different footprint. ZIP assignment uses the largest HUD residential-address share; every shown record has a 100% assigned Cook County share, but that method should still be checked for an individual address. Before selecting a property, verify its address, advertised rent, bedroom count, utilities and fees included, current availability, lease terms, and any qualification rules; use the relevant HUD two-bedroom standard only when its program and bedroom basis apply.