Custom Merch for Bands in Chicago, IL
Merch Mob makes tour tees, hoodies for cold dates, and hats and beanies for bands in Chicago, IL, at its shop in Montclair, CA, and ships them to Chicago. College enrollment in Chicago runs a little above the national rate, 8% of residents aged 3 and up against 7% (Census ACS, 2020-2024), so plan for some student-age fans and keep tees and caps well stocked.
Chicago by the numbers
Chicago's population has held steady since 2020, at 2,731,585 residents (Census estimates).
Cook County has 142 musical groups and artists with paid employees (Census County Business Patterns, 2023). That is 0.27 for every 10,000 residents, above the national figure of 0.17. 92% of them employ fewer than 10 people. The count is up 28% from 111 in 2018.
The Census only counts acts with a payroll, so most bands, which have none, are not in this figure.
Cook County as a whole has 5,194,625 residents, down 1.6% since 2020. Cook County has one musical group or artist for every 36,580 residents.
- Population, 2025
- 2,731,585
- Since 2020
- −0.6%
- County
- Cook County
- Musical groups and artists in Cook County, 2023
- 142
- Per 10,000 county residents
- 0.27 (US 0.17)
- Time zone
- Central
- Median age
- 35.8 (US 38.9)
- In college or grad school
- 8% (US 7%)
- Warmest month, average high
- July, 85°F
- Coldest month, average low
- January, 19°F
- Days at 90°F or hotter, a year
- 20
- Nights at 32°F or colder, a year
- 106
- Rain and melted snow, a year
- 34 in
- Snow, a year
- 39 in
- USPS zone from the shop
- 7
Weather: Chicago Midway Airport station, 5 mi from Chicago's center (NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals); snow from the Chicago Midway Airport 3SW station. People: Census ACS 2020-2024. Counts: CBP 2023, by county, paid-employee establishments. Population: Census, July 2025.
What Chicago's weather means for bands
Average highs in Chicago stay below 45°F from December to February, so fans arrive at club shows in coats and a winter table should put hoodies, beanies and long sleeves ahead of tees. July highs average 85°F, so summer outdoor dates from May to September are tee territory, with tanks and caps as the add-ons. No month here has an average high between 65°F and 69°F, so spring and fall dates swing between fleece weather and tee weather, and a long sleeve covers both. With about 39 inches of snow in a typical year, a winter date can be postponed by a storm, so leave the date of a winter show off the shirt itself and keep that design sellable later. Freezing temperatures arrive on about 106 nights a year, so fans walking out of a winter show want a beanie more than another tee.
| Month in Chicago | Average high | Average low | Rain and melted snow (in) | What sells at the merch table |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 19°F | 1.5 | Hoodies, beanies and long sleeves |
| February | 37°F | 23°F | 1.5 | Hoodies, beanies and long sleeves |
| March | 48°F | 32°F | 1.9 | Hoodies and long sleeves |
| April | 60°F | 41°F | 3.6 | Hoodies and long sleeves |
| May | 71°F | 52°F | 4.1 | Tour tees and dad hats |
| June | 81°F | 62°F | 4 | Tour tees and dad hats |
| July | 85°F | 68°F | 3.6 | Lightweight tees, tanks and caps |
| August | 83°F | 66°F | 4 | Tour tees and dad hats |
| September | 76°F | 59°F | 2.8 | Tour tees and dad hats |
| October | 63°F | 47°F | 3.5 | Hoodies and long sleeves |
| November | 49°F | 35°F | 2.4 | Hoodies and long sleeves |
| December | 38°F | 25°F | 1.8 | Hoodies, beanies and long sleeves |
Made in So Cal, shipped to Chicago.
Orders ship to Chicago from the shop; there is no office or pickup point in Illinois.
Chicago is about 1,711 miles from Merch Mob's shop in Montclair, CA, a straight-line distance. From the shop's ZIP code, Chicago is USPS zone 7. Chicago is on Central time, 2 hours ahead of the shop's Pacific time.
From the production floor
Merch Mob production in Southern California.
Ordering from Chicago
How should a band split tees and hoodies for shows in Chicago?
Count the dates: highs average under 65°F from October to April, so those shows want about as many hoodies and long sleeves as tees, while summer dates can go back to mostly tees.
More for Chicago
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