The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Clay County, IL
Clay County is home to 13,100 residents and includes Flora and Louisville · Updated November 2026
Is Clay County, IL safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Clay County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 95% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map and the safest and least safe places below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 974 of 1,000Safer than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
95% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Clay County as a whole, and 5% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Clay County scores 974.
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 crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime 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 Clay County, IL at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Clay County, 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 in Clay County
Thefts are uncommon. Clay County has thefts at less than half the US rate: 4.4 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
How places in Clay County compare
Every part of Clay County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Clay County run from A+ to A; every part of Clay County has less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Cities and towns in Clay County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.
Across the county, the northwest side has the least crime and the Flora area the most.
Crime rates and types in Clay County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Clay County has about 24 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 35% less than the US as a whole and 43% less than Illinois.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Assault is the most common crime in Clay County, about 37% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Clay County compares with nearby counties
Clay County has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest counties.
Density, empty homes and walkability in Clay County
Two things set Clay County apart: it has 0% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and 13.0% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places where few residents live in dense blocks tend to report less robbery.
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 97% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.13.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 94% of Americans
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. 77% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (15 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 58% of Americans
Show all 6
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Clay County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
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.46% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 86% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.35 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 76% of Americans
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 crime costs Clay County
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Clay County about $652 a year per household, 46% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $11 million a year, or $837 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$600,000
$46
Rape
$470,000
$36
Robbery
$20,000
$2
Assault
$1.1 million
$82
Burglary
$320,000
$24
Theft
$290,000
$22
Vehicle theft
$160,000
$12
Arson
$57,000
$4
Vandalism
$600,000
$46
Total
$3.6 million
$275
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Clay County means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Clay County is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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.
Schools in Clay County, IL average a SchoolGrade of C: 39% of students test proficient, against 25% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Clay County on SchoolGrade
