PerchChicago
A colorful billboard-scale mural in front of the Chicago skyline and the Willis Tower
1,196 permitted boards · September 2026

Every billboard in Chicago, analyzed before you call the broker.

boards mapped
monthly market
rated A or better
4 A+ and 89 A
Instant estimator
5boards
~638K monthly impressions
See them →

Built from Perch Estimates, one face per structure. How it works

Built on public data, refreshed yearlyIDOTOutdoor Advertising permitsIDOTAnnual Average Daily TrafficU.S. CensusAmerican Community SurveyOpenStreetMapAddresses and streetsCity of ChicagoCommunity area boundaries
1,196boards tracked✦93rated A or better✦$6.2MPerch Estimate monthly market✦$6.80average effective CPM✦54,567average vehicles per day✦73neighborhoods covered✦
The Chicago Theatre sign over a busy street, with cars blurred by motion
Outdoor advertising, Chicago style

Chicago has always advertised out loud.

permitted boards
average vehicles a day
rated A or better
4 A+ and 89 A
The city, plotted

Every dot is a permitted billboard.

1,196 boards, colored by grade. The dense lines are the expressways, where the traffic is.

A+
4
A
89
B
166
C
330
D
274
F
333
boards mapped
rated A or better
4 A+ and 89 A
$6.2M
Perch Estimate per month
LAKE MICHIGAN
Memo · From the Perch desk

Outdoor advertising should be easy to read.

Right now the only way to learn what a Chicago billboard costs is to call someone who sells them. Our goal is to flip that: every permitted board in the city, graded and priced from public data, before the first phone call. A better starting point makes a better negotiation, for the small business owner and the broker alike.


Know the board. Know the rating. Then call.

PERCH GRADEA+ABCDFTrafficVisibilityAudience
How a grade is made

Three signals. One letter.

Traffic

How many vehicles pass it every day.

+
Visibility

How well drivers can actually see it.

+
Audience

Who lives and earns around it.

=
A
Your rating
Illustrative example buys

What a budget could look like.

Illustrations built from Perch Estimates and traffic counts. These are not past campaigns and not client results.

$25,000 per month · I-290
3boards
~3.4M monthly impressions
See I-290 on the map →
$50,000 per month · I-90/94
3boards
~9.4M monthly impressions
See I-90/94 on the map →
$10,000 per month · Western Ave
4boards
~1.4M monthly impressions
See Western Ave on the map →

Broker vs Perch.

Traditional buying
Perch
Pricing
Opaque, quoted by phone
✓Perch Estimate on every board, instantly
Research
Phone tag and email chains
✓Self-serve, any hour
Speed to a first number
Wait for a callback
✓Seconds
Methodology
Not shared
✓Published in full
Comparing sites
Spreadsheets you build yourself
✓Grades, side-by-side compare and a shareable shortlist
Free download

The Chicago Outdoor Media Kit.

Traffic metrics and pricing benchmarks by corridor and neighborhood, straight from the dataset. Drop your email and it is yours.

A+ABCDF

Start with the map.

Follow Perch on X for new boards and data notes