DeKalb, IL Violent Crime Rates and Maps

C+

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

Which crimes are included?

$8.14 million

Cost of Crime™ for DeKalb, IL

In 2025, violent crime will cost $487 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of DeKalb with the least violent crime and red marks the most, weighted by the type and severity of each offense. Violent crime concentrates where people gather after dark, near nightlife, bars, and transit, more than on residential streets. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read those hot spots.

The C grade reflects how often assault, robbery, rape, and murder occur in DeKalb against the average US city, where the rate is slightly higher than the norm. DeKalb sits in the 43rd percentile for violent-crime safety, ahead of 43% of cities and behind 57%. The grade covers only DeKalb's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The violent crime rate in DeKalb is 3.237 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the north part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 217 in the central neighborhoods to 1 in 448 in the north.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northwest parts of DeKalb, IL report the most violent crime, about 38 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 2 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in DeKalb, IL

The tangible cost of violent crime in DeKalb is projected at $8,138,646 for 2025, about $199 per resident and $487 per household. That equals 0.7% of the median household income, and it counts only the bills that can be totaled: emergency care, lost wages, and the justice response. The larger cost, the harm to victims, comes later on this page. These tangible costs split into:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 45.1%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 40.2%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 14.6%

How Much Does Violent Crime Cost in DeKalb Compared to Other Cities?

DeKalb, IL:	$199
East St. Louis, IL:	$693
Glen Carbon, IL:	$84
Illinois:	$240
USA:	$258

The tangible cost of violent crime is $199 per resident each year in DeKalb, which is $59 less than the national average and $42 less than Illinois's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to DeKalb:

In East St. Louis, IL, crime costs $693 per person, which is $494 more than in DeKalb.
In Glen Carbon, IL, crime costs $84 per person, which is $115 less than in DeKalb

2025 Projected Violent Crime Cost by Type

The table below breaks the violent-crime total into its four offenses for DeKalb, with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to DeKalb	Cost per DeKalb Resident
Murder	$3.38 million	$83
Rape/Sexual Assault	$1.77 million	$43
Robbery	$859,561	$21
Assault	$2.13 million	$52
Total Cost of Violent Crime	$8,138,646	$199

The Human Cost of Violent Crime in DeKalb, IL

Much of what violent crime costs never reaches a bill. Pain, trauma, and lost quality of life for victims and their families typically outweigh the medical and legal totals above. Research-based methods put a figure on that harm so it can be compared across places. By those methods, the human cost of violent crime in DeKalb totals $31,905,563 ($780 per resident). Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $40,044,209 ($978 per resident). This human toll is what sets violent crime apart from property crime in DeKalb, IL, where the loss is mostly replaceable property. All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Violent Crime Maps

Violent crime rates are measured per resident, so places packed with visitors after dark read high even when few people live there. Bars, clubs, event venues, and transit hubs draw the crowds where assaults and robberies cluster. How strongly this shows on the map depends on the commercial base; the northeast part of the city has more retail establishments. A red block full of bars and venues does not mean the homes around it are dangerous.

Transit stations show the same effect: large moving crowds, few residents, so per-capita violent crime reads high. Before judging a residential street, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total count of incidents, and note what draws crowds nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a solid connection. Compare high speed internet in DeKalb, IL at ISP Reports.

DeKalb Violent Crime Breakdown

The table below shows which offenses feed the Violent Crime Grade above, each as crimes per 1,000 DeKalb residents in a standard year.

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.811
Robbery	0.6676
Rape	0.7145
Murder	0.0439
Total Violent Crime	3.237 (C)

Individual DeKalb Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of violent crime in DeKalb is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to DeKalb.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Cortland, IL	B+	B+	B
Elva, IL	B-	C	B-
Sycamore, IL	A	A	A
Malta, IL	C+	C	B
Clare, IL	A+	B+	A+
Maple Park, IL	A+	A+	A+
Richardson, IL	A+	A+	A
Virgil, IL	A+	A+	A+
Troxel, IL	A-	B	A
Creston, IL	D-	C+	F

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

DeKalb is similar versus other cities of the same size for violent crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
West Hollywood, CA	F	F	F
Thibodaux, LA	D	D-	D-
DePere, WI	B	A	A
Streamwood, IL	B+	A	A
Upper Darby, PA	D+	D	D
El Dorado Hills, CA	B+	B	B
Chelsea, MA	C	D-	D-
Cedar Falls, IA	B-	A-	A-
Warminster, PA	B+	A	A
Canonsburg, PA	A-	A+	A+

Considering only the violent crime rate, DeKalb is less safe than the Illinois state average and safer than the national average.

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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.