$3.2 billion
Cost of Crime™ for Illinois
In 2025, violent crime will cost $623 per household.
More cost data
On the map, green marks the parts of Illinois 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 B+ grade reflects how often assault, robbery, rape, and murder occur in Illinois against the average US state, where the rate is lower than the norm. Illinois sits in the 71st percentile for violent-crime safety, ahead of 71% of states and behind 29%. The grade covers only Illinois's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby states.
The violent crime rate in Illinois is 2.909 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the north part of the state the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 279 in the east cities to 1 in 489 in the north.
Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northeast parts of Illinois report the most violent crime, about 16,559 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 323 per year.
The Cost of Crime™ in Illinois
The tangible cost of violent crime in Illinois is projected at $3,150,751,063 for 2025, about $240 per resident and $623 per household. That equals 0.5% 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): 42.7%
- Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 42.8%
- Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 14.4%
How Much Does Violent Crime Cost in Illinois Compared to Other States?
| Illinois: |
$240
|
| New Mexico: |
$479
|
| Rhode Island: |
$114
|
| USA: |
$258
|
The tangible cost of violent crime is $240 per resident each year in Illinois, which is $18 less than the national average. The comparison below uses states similar to Illinois:
- In New Mexico, crime costs $479 per person, which is $239 more than in Illinois.
- In Rhode Island, crime costs $114 per person, which is $126 less than in Illinois
2025 Projected Violent Crime Cost by Type
The table below breaks the violent-crime total into its four offenses for Illinois, 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 |
Total Cost of Violent Crime |
$3,150,751,063 |
$240 |
The Human Cost of Violent Crime in Illinois
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 Illinois totals $14,644,201,373 ($1,118 per resident). Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $17,794,952,437 ($1,358 per resident). This human toll is what sets violent crime apart from
property crime in Illinois, 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 state 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. Major airports, of which Illinois has 2, are the extreme case. 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 Illinois at ISP Reports.
Illinois Violent Crime Breakdown
The table below shows which offenses feed the Violent Crime Grade above, each as crimes per 1,000 Illinois residents in a standard year.
Crime Type |
Crime Rate |
Assault |
1.224 |
Robbery |
0.9024 |
Rape |
0.7119 |
Murder |
0.0712 |
Total Violent Crime |
2.909 (B+) |
Individual Illinois Crime Maps & Stats
Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby States
Compared to surrounding states, the rate of violent 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 |
|---|
| A- | B- | B+ |
| B | B- | A- |
| D | D | D+ |
| B+ | B | B+ |
| B- | A- | B |
| B | D+ | B+ |
| C+ | B- | B- |
| D | D- | D |
| C | B | C |
| A- | B+ | A |
Crime Maps and Rates for State with Similar Populations
Illinois is similar versus other states of the same size for violent 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 |
|---|
| B- | C | C |
| C+ | C+ | C+ |
| A | A+ | A+ |
| C- | D+ | D+ |
| A+ | A+ | A+ |
| C | B | B |
| B | D+ | D+ |
| A+ | C+ | C+ |
| A | A+ | A+ |
| A- | B | B |
Considering only the violent crime rate, Illinois is as safe as the national average.
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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