The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Lower West Side, Chicago, IL: Crime Maps and Statistics

C+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	C+
Property Crime Grade	B-
Other Crime Grade	D+

Which crimes are included?

$14.5 million

Cost of Crime™ for Lower West Side, Chicago, IL

In 2025, crime will cost $1,482 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Lower West Side 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 Lower West Side, Chicago, IL Safe?

The C+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US neighborhood, where Lower West Side's combined rate is about the same as the norm. Lower West Side sits in the 47th percentile, ahead of 47% of neighborhoods and behind 53%. The grade covers only Lower West Side's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby neighborhoods.

The overall crime rate in Lower West Side is 38.08 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the central part of the neighborhood the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 9 in the southeast areas to 1 in 33 in the central.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Lower West Side, Chicago, IL report the most crime, about 176 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 2 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Lower West Side, Chicago, IL

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Lower West Side for 2025 is $14,513,988, about $612 per resident and $1,482 per household. That equals 1.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.3%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.6%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.1%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Lower West Side Compared to Other Neighborhoods?

Lower West Side, Chicago, IL:	$612
Englewood, Chicago, IL:	$1163
O'Hare, Chicago, IL:	$344
Illinois:	$420
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Lower West Side is $612 per year, which is $148 more than the national average and $192 more than Chicago's city average. The comparison below uses neighborhoods similar to Lower West Side:

In Englewood, Chicago, IL, crime costs $1,163 per person, which is $551 more than in Lower West Side.
In O'Hare, Chicago, IL, crime costs $344 per person, which is $268 less than in Lower West Side

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Lower West Side	Cost per Lower West Side Resident
Murder	$4.83 million	$204
Rape/Sexual Assault	$1.04 million	$44
Robbery	$1.28 million	$54
Assault	$1.40 million	$59
Kidnapping	$104,518	$4
Vehicle Theft	$1.29 million	$54
Burglary	$473,454	$20
Theft	$1.72 million	$73
Arson	$35,304	$1
Vandalism	$1.69 million	$71
Animal Cruelty	$4,147	$0
Drug Crimes	$345,627	$15
Identity Theft	$302,398	$13
Total Cost of Crime	$14,513,988	$612

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Lower West Side, Chicago, IL

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 Lower West Side totals $38,021,766 ($1,604 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $52,535,754 ($2,216 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 north part of the neighborhood 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 draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Lower West Side has 16, do the same, and of Lower West Side's 23,708 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 Lower West Side, Chicago, IL at ISP Reports.

Lower West Side 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 Lower West Side residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.062
Robbery	1.721
Rape	0.7202
Murder	0.1084
Total Violent Crime	4.612 (C+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	14.02
Vehicle Theft	3.513
Burglary	2.202
Arson	0.0617
Total Property Crime	19.80 (B-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0727
Drug Crimes	1.971
Vandalism	9.957
Identity Theft	1.648
Animal Cruelty	0.0236
Total "Other" Rate	13.67 (D+)

Individual Lower West Side Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Neighborhoods

Compared to surrounding neighborhoods, the rate of crime in Lower West Side is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for neighborhoods close to Lower West Side.

Nearby Neighborhood	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Pilsen, Chicago, IL	C+	C+	B
University Village, Chicago, IL	C-	C	C-
Locks, Chicago, IL	B-	B-	B+
Claremont Cottages, Chicago, IL	D+	C-	C-
Bohemian California, Chicago, IL	C+	C+	B
Near West Side, Chicago, IL	D	C-	D+
Mount Pleasant, Chicago, IL	C+	B-	C+
Ducktown, Chicago, IL	B	B+	B+
Bridgeport, Chicago, IL	B-	B-	B+
Armour Square, Chicago, IL	C-	C	C

Crime Maps and Rates for Neighborhood with Similar Populations

Lower West Side is similar versus other neighborhoods of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in neighborhoods with comparable overall population in the neighborhood‘s boundaries.

Similar Neighborhood	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
San Luis Rey, Oceanside, CA	B	A-	A-
Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA	B+	C+	C+
Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, CA	D	D-	D-
Hunts Point, Bronx, NY	C+	D+	D+
Kalihi Valley, Honolulu, HI	A+	A+	A+
Maplewood-Ashcreek, Portland, OR	C+	B+	B+
Airport, Honolulu, HI	B-	A	A
Mountain View, El Monte, CA	B	B-	B-
Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA	D-	D-	D-
Noe Valley, San Francisco, CA	C-	C-	C-

Considering only the crime rate, Lower West Side is less safe than the Illinois state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Lower West Side, Chicago, IL average SchoolGrade of F, with 15% actual proficiency versus 16% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Lower West Side 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.