About Perch
Data as of September 2026.
Why this exists
Billboard pricing in Chicago is almost entirely opaque — there's no public listing of what a board actually costs, how much traffic passes it, or who to even ask. You typically find out only after calling a broker. Perch is an independent project built to close that gap: every permitted billboard in the city, priced and scored from public data, before you ever pick up the phone.
Who's behind it
Perch is built and maintained by one independent developer in Chicago. It isn't a media company, a broker, or a startup with a sales team. It started from a simple frustration: the data to judge a billboard (permits, traffic counts, Census demographics) is all public, but nobody had put it in one place with a price attached.
Since launch, people who work in Chicago outdoor advertising have been reviewing it. Their feedback has already changed the model. For example, after a review we found interstate boards were being matched to nearby side streets instead of the expressway, and fixed it. No board has a verified price yet. If you know what a board really costs, telling us is the single most useful thing you can do for this project.
Who it's for
Advertisers and media buyers sizing up a site, brokers and board owners who want an independent price check, and anyone curious what a billboard on their commute is actually worth.
What it isn't
Perch doesn't sell, lease, or broker billboard space, and it isn't affiliated with any board owner, media company, or advertiser. Prices are modeled from public traffic and market-rate data unless marked ✓ Verified — see Methodology for exactly how, and where every number comes from.
In the press
- New website prices Chicago Billboards · Billboard Insider, October 21, 2026
More on the press page.
Get in touch
Found a board you own or broker with the wrong price? Think a score is off? Use the "Submit data by email" or "Flag this score" links on any board page, visit the contact page, or email perchbillboards@gmail.com.