The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Illinois: Crime Maps and Statistics

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	B+
Property Crime Grade	B+
Other Crime Grade	B

Which crimes are included?

$5.5 billion

Cost of Crime™ for Illinois

In 2025, crime will cost $1,089 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Illinois with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Illinois Safe?

The B overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US state, where Illinois's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Illinois sits in the 69th percentile, ahead of 69% of states and behind 31%. The grade covers only Illinois's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby states.

The overall crime rate in Illinois is 26.10 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the central part of the state the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 30 in the northeast cities to 1 in 55 in the central.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northeast parts of Illinois report the most crime, about 159,864 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 2,550 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Illinois

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Illinois for 2025 is $5,504,975,790, about $420 per resident and $1,089 per household. That equals 0.9% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.7%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.0%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.2%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Illinois Compared to Other States?

Illinois:	$420
New Mexico:	$835
New Jersey:	$240
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Illinois is $420 per year, which is $44 less than the national average. The comparison below uses states similar to Illinois:

In New Mexico, crime costs $835 per person, which is $415 more than in Illinois.
In New Jersey, crime costs $240 per person, which is $181 less than in Illinois

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Illinois for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Illinois	Cost per Illinois Resident
Murder	$1.8 billion	$134
Rape/Sexual Assault	$565.5 million	$43
Robbery	$371.9 million	$28
Assault	$460.4 million	$35
Kidnapping	$76.3 million	$6
Vehicle Theft	$536.3 million	$41
Burglary	$201.2 million	$15
Theft	$644.9 million	$49
Arson	$22.1 million	$2
Vandalism	$613.2 million	$47
Animal Cruelty	$1.89 million	$0
Drug Crimes	$147.9 million	$11
Identity Theft	$110.4 million	$8
Total Cost of Crime	$5,504,975,790	$420

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Illinois

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Illinois totals $14,644,201,373 ($1,118 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $20,149,177,163 ($1,538 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The northeast part of the state holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports, of which Illinois has 2, draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Illinois has 2,215, do the same, and of Illinois's 13,101,004 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Illinois at ISP Reports.

Illinois Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Illinois residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.224
Robbery	0.9024
Rape	0.7119
Murder	0.0712
Total Violent Crime	2.909 (B+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	9.505
Vehicle Theft	2.644
Burglary	1.693
Arson	0.0698
Total Property Crime	13.91 (B+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0961
Drug Crimes	1.526
Vandalism	6.552
Identity Theft	1.088
Animal Cruelty	0.0195
Total "Other" Rate	9.282 (B)

Individual Illinois Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby States

Compared to surrounding states, the rate of crime in Illinois is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for states close to Illinois.

Nearby State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Indiana	A-	B-	B+
Wisconsin	B	B-	A-
Missouri	D	D	D+
Iowa	B+	B	B+
Kentucky	B-	A-	B
Michigan	B	D+	B+
Ohio	C+	B-	B-
Tennessee	D	D-	D
Minnesota	C	B	C
West Virginia	A-	B+	A

Crime Maps and Rates for State with Similar Populations

Illinois is similar versus other states of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in states with comparable overall population in the state‘s boundaries.

Similar State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Arizona	B-	C	C
Alabama	C+	C+	C+
New Hampshire	A	A+	A+
Montana	C-	D+	D+
Mississippi	A+	A+	A+
Minnesota	C	B	B
Michigan	B	D+	D+
Massachusetts	A+	C+	C+
Maine	A	A+	A+
Idaho	A-	B	B

Considering only the crime rate, Illinois is as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Illinois average SchoolGrade of D-, with 23% actual proficiency versus 27% projected; overall, schools don't meet expectations. See Illinois schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.