East Chicago is a city of 26,000 in Lake County, about 19 miles southeast of downtown Chicago · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in East Chicago?
East Chicago earns an A- for property crime, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 53% of Americans live. Theft makes up 47% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A, and vehicle theft grades A-.
A-
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 809 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
47% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than East Chicago as a whole, and 53% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. East Chicago scores 809.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in East Chicago, IN at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in East Chicago, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in East Chicago
Vehicle theft stands out among cities graded A for property crime. For the typical resident of a US city graded A for property crime, the figure is 0.91 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents; East Chicago has 5.2.
Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In East Chicago, 64% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in East Chicago
Most of East Chicago grades well for property crime: 52% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 2% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across East Chicago run from A to D+.
52%46%
A or B 52%C 46%D or F 2%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Property crime rates and types in East Chicago
CrimeGrade™ estimates East Chicago has about 23 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the US as a whole and 25% more than Indiana.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in East Chicago, about 47% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
The East Chicago Police Department's 2024 report to the FBI was missing some months of theft; CrimeGrade™ filled them in from the department's own monthly pattern.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when property crime happens in East Chicago
East Chicago has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In East Chicago, 84% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 61% of them, against 27% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (84%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (61%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (64%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Streets and sidewalks (45%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in East Chicago and nearby cities
East Chicago has less property crime than 7 of its 10 nearest cities.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from East Chicago. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, East Chicago is safer than 79% of them.
Parking lots, empty homes and walkability in East Chicago
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set East Chicago apart: it has 7.4 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally, and 19.2% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.7.4 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 99% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.19.2% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 99% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft.C+ (44 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 89% of US city residents
Show all 6
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.68% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 89% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.7.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 79% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs East Chicago
Property crime costs East Chicago about $5.1 million a year, or $195 per resident and about $516 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$390,000
$15
Theft
$1.5 million
$56
Vehicle theft
$2.1 million
$80
Arson
$170,000
$7
Vandalism
$990,000
$38
Total
$5.1 million
$195
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
