Downtown Normal is a neighborhood of 7,990 residents in Normal, close to downtown · Updated November 2026
Is Downtown Normal in Normal safe?
Crime in Downtown Normal is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 65% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Downtown Normal. Violent and property crime both grade B+ here. Normal as a whole grades A-.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 746 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
35% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Downtown Normal as a whole, and 65% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Downtown Normal scores 746.
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 Downtown Normal, Normal, IL at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Downtown Normal in Normal, 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 Downtown Normal
Thefts from cars happen in parking lots and garages far more often than nationally. In Normal as a whole, 71% of reported thefts from cars happen in parking lots and garages, against 31% nationally.
Crime rates and types in Downtown Normal
CrimeGrade™ estimates Downtown Normal has about 34 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 7% less than the US as a whole and 15% less than Normal as a whole.
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 Downtown Normal, about 56% 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.
Where and when crime happens in Normal
The Normal Police Department polices Downtown Normal; these figures cover Normal as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Normal as a whole, 46% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (46%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Parking lots and garages (44%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (71%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Homes (50%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (57%)
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; they are over one in five for burglary, car theft, theft from cars, vandalism, aggravated assault.
How Downtown Normal compares with nearby neighborhoods
Downtown Normal has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Downtown Normal. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with neighborhoods of similar size and density, Downtown Normal is safer than 85% of them.
Empty homes, walkability and nightlife in Downtown Normal
Two things set Downtown Normal apart: it has 11.3% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 1.0 bars and nightlife spots for every 1,000 residents, against 0.6 nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.11.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 84% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 and assault. 100% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (15 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 83% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Bars and nightlifeBars, lounges, clubs and casinos. Places with more bars tend to report more assault and robbery.1.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 0.6Higher than for 81% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
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 Downtown Normal: C (40 of 100).34 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 80% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 Downtown Normal
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Downtown Normal about $2,968 a year per household, more than double 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 $8.8 million a year, or $1,107 per resident.
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 Downtown Normal 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.
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 Downtown Normal, Normal, IL average a SchoolGrade of B+: 51% of students test proficient, against 32% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Downtown Normal on SchoolGrade
