Evanston is a city of 80,900 in Cook County, about 12 miles north of downtown Chicago · Updated November 2026
How common is violent crime in Evanston?
Evanston earns an A for violent crime, safer than the neighborhoods where 63% of Americans live. Assaults make up 93% of it, and most of those are simple assaults, which involve no weapon and no serious injury.
A
Violent crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 902 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
63% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more violent crime than Evanston as a whole, and 37% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a violent crime safety score of 860, a CrimeGrade™ of A. Evanston scores 902.
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 violent crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its violent crime with the people who spend time there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy downtown or nightlife strip can show red while the homes around it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a solid connection. Compare high speed internet in Evanston, IL at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Evanston, 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 about violent crime in Evanston
One part of Evanston stands out for robbery. Robberies in South Evanston, in southeast Evanston, run at more than triple the rate in the rest of the city.
Aggravated assaults are uncommon. Evanston has aggravated assaults at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.54 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 nationally.
Where violent crime is lowest and highest in Evanston
Most of Evanston grades well for violent crime: 98% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and the rest in areas graded C. Violent crime grades across Evanston run from A+ to C.
98%
A or B 98%C 2%
Share of residents, by the violent crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
2Downtown, eastRobberies run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Evanston.A+935
3South Evanston, southeastSimple assaults run at about triple the rate in the rest of Evanston.A-794
Neighborhood areas of Evanston, ranked by violent crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Is violent crime going up in Evanston?
Reported violent crime in Evanston has fallen 12% since 2019. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 1.6 to 1.4 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 16%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
EvanstonUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Evanston. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Evanston
Violent, US
2016
+10%
+4%
2017
+4%
+4%
2018
+21%
+0%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-48%
+4%
2021
+8%
+6%
2022
+9%
+5%
2023
+6%
+2%
2024
-12%
-4%
Violent crime rates and types in Evanston
CrimeGrade™ estimates Evanston has about 11 reported violent crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 15% less than the US as a whole and 33% less than Illinois.
All violent crime
Assaults
Robbery
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Violent crime here includes simple assaults, which the FBI's violent crime rate leaves out.
Assault is the most common violent crime in Evanston, about 93% of the total.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a violent crime with the people who spend time in an area, not only the people who live there. 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 violent crime happens in Evanston
Evanston has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Evanston, 41% of aggravated assaults happen at a home, against 53% nationally. Robberies happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 53% of them.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (53%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (41%)
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.
Violent crime in Evanston and nearby cities
Evanston has more violent crime than 7 of its 9 nearest cities. Kenilworth and Wilmette have the least violent crime nearby.
Among the traits that tend to go with violent crime, two set Evanston apart: it has a Walk Grade of B+ (66 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 17 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby. It also combines many jobs with busy transit: places with both tend to report more robbery than places with only one of them, and it runs high here.
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 assault. 50% of residents here live in walkable areas.B+ (66 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 95% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Evanston: C (37 of 100).17 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 90% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.68% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 90% of US city residents
Show all 4
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more robbery.57 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 73% of US city residents
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 violent crime costs Evanston
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, violent crime costs Evanston about $28 million a year, or $344 per resident. The costs that reach a bill, such as medical care, lost work and the justice system, come to about $10 million, or $129 per resident.
Billed cost of violent crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering are about 62% of that full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$600,000
$7
Rape
$1.4 million
$17
Robbery
$1.3 million
$16
Assault
$7.1 million
$88
Total
$10 million
$129
How CrimeGrade™ works
The violent crime CrimeGrade™ covers murder, rape, robbery and assault, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each violent crime against the people who spend time in an area, so a busy downtown is graded on its workers and visitors as well as its residents.
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.
