Chicago Open Data Portal Scraper

Chicago Open Data Portal Scraper

Scrape Chicago Open Data Portal datasets, from building violations to crime reports, up to a million rows per run. Each row comes with the exact columns you select, filtered by SoQL where clauses, full-text search, and column equality. No API key or login. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Chicago's official data portal holds hundreds of public datasets, but downloading them means manual CSV exports or writing Socrata API calls. This Actor reads the portal directly, either listing every available dataset or pulling rows from a specific resource ID, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

Who uses it	What they scrape Chicago Open Data Portal for
Urban planners	Which building violations are open in a specific ward this month
Journalists	Crime incident trends for a neighborhood over the last year
Data analysts	A clean dataset of 311 requests joined with ward boundaries
Civic hackers	Fresh data for a public dashboard or mapping project

What it does

This Actor collects Chicago Open Data Portal datasets by catalog browsing or resource ID, and returns each row as a flat record with the columns you select.

• 📋 Catalog mode: list all available Chicago datasets with their IDs, names, and descriptions.
• 📊 Dataset mode: pull rows from one specific dataset by its resource ID, like 22u3-xenr for Building Violations.
• 🔍 Full-text search: pass a $q query to search across all columns in a dataset.
• 🧮 SoQL filtering: use a $where clause for advanced conditions like violation_date > '2024-01-01'.
• 📁 Column projection: select only the fields you need with a comma-separated $select list.
• ↕️ Sorting: order results with $order, for example violation_date DESC.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with Chicago Open Data Portal data

🏗️ Track building violations.

A city inspector runs the Actor with resourceId 22u3-xenr and a filter for violation_status OPEN to get a daily list of unresolved violations in their district.

🚔 Monitor crime trends.

A local newsroom pulls the Crimes 2001-Present dataset with a where clause for a specific community area and date range to build a monthly crime report.

📞 Analyze 311 requests.

A data analyst extracts the 311 Service Requests dataset, selects only the columns for type, ward, and created date, and exports to CSV for a performance dashboard.

🗺️ Build a public map.

A civic hacker uses catalog mode to find the latest dataset IDs, then pulls rows for a neighborhood map of pothole repairs, filtering by status and sorting by date.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	Reads the public Socrata endpoint directly, no registration or token needed
Fixed schema	Every row returns the same flat structure, ready for analysis or export
Large volume	Pull up to 1,000,000 rows per run on paid plans
Flexible queries	Combine column filters, SoQL where, full-text search, and sorting

How it compares

This Actor focuses on Chicago Open Data Portal datasets, while the competitors below target different sources like Tripadvisor, Booking.com, and Yelp.

Feature	ParseForge	Tripadvisor Scraper	Booking Reviews Scraper	Yelp Scraper
Scrapes Chicago Open Data Portal	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Catalog mode to list all datasets	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
SoQL where clause filtering	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Full-text search across columns	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Column projection with $select	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Sorting with $order	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed

Configure the run

Drive the Actor with a mode, a resource ID, and optional filters, where clauses, search queries, field selections, and sort expressions, all applied as the data is read so only matching rows reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "mode": "dataset",
  "resourceId": "22u3-xenr"
}

A larger pull:

{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "mode": "dataset",
  "resourceId": "22u3-xenr"
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.02 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$2.00
1,000 results	$20.00
10,000 results	$200.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the Chicago Open Data Portal Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Chicago Open Data Portal through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/data-cityofchicago-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check that your resourceId is correct and that your filters or where clause do not exclude all rows. Try running in catalog mode to verify the dataset exists.

I get an error about invalid resource ID.

Resource IDs are 4x4 format like '22u3-xenr'. Use catalog mode to find the exact ID for your dataset.

The run stops at 10 items even though I set maxItems higher.

Free users are limited to 10 items as a preview. Upgrade to a paid plan to pull more rows.

My where clause returns an error.

Ensure your SoQL expression is properly quoted and uses single quotes for string values, like "violation_date > '2024-01-01'".

FAQ

Question	Answer
Do I need an API key or token?	No. The Actor reads the public Socrata endpoint directly, so no registration or authentication is required.
How do I find the resource ID for a dataset?	Run the Actor in catalog mode to list all datasets with their IDs, names, and descriptions. Then use the ID in dataset mode.
What is the maximum number of rows I can pull?	Free users are limited to 10 items as a preview. Paid users can set maxItems up to 1,000,000.
Can I filter rows by a specific column value?	Yes, use the filters input as a JSON object with column-equality pairs, like {"violation_status":"OPEN"}.
What is a SoQL where clause?	SoQL is the Socrata Query Language. The where input accepts an expression like "violation_date > '2024-01-01' AND ward = '42'" for advanced filtering.
Can I search across all columns?	Yes, the searchQuery input applies a full-text $q search across all columns in the dataset.
How do I select only certain columns?	Use the selectFields input with a comma-separated list, like 'id,violation_date,ward,violation_status'.
Can I sort the results?	Yes, the orderBy input accepts a sort expression like 'violation_date DESC'.
What export formats are supported?	The Actor returns data in a fixed schema that can be exported to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify platform.
Is this an official City of Chicago API?	No, this is an unofficial scraper that reads the public data portal. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Chicago.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by City of Chicago. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.