South Shore, Chicago, IL Violent Crime Rates and Maps

South Shore is a neighborhood of 36,800 residents in Chicago, about 9 miles south of downtown · Updated November 2026

How common is violent crime in South Shore?

South Shore grades F for violent crime, with more of it than the neighborhoods where 99% of Americans live. Assaults make up 90% of it, and most of those are simple assaults, which involve no weapon and no serious injury. Chicago as a whole grades D- for violent crime.

F
Violent crime CrimeGrade™Safety score 0 of 1,000
More violent crime than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

1% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more violent crime than South Shore as a whole, and 99% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a violent crime safety score of 860, a CrimeGrade™ of A. South Shore scores 0.

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.

F
Overall crimeSafety score 0 of 1,000Less safe than nearly all US neighborhoods
F
Property crimeSafety score 0 of 1,000More property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Violent crime map of South Shore

Map of South Shore shaded by violent crime CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 South Shore, Chicago, IL at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in South Shore in Chicago, 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 South Shore

Aggravated assaults are less common than in most neighborhoods graded F for violent crime. South Shore has 3.0 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of a US neighborhood graded F for violent crime, the figure is 9.5.

Robberies and simple assaults both run high. In South Shore, each runs at more than triple the US rate: 5.0 robberies and 55.5 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.62 and 9.7 nationally.


How South Shore compares within Chicago

Every part of South Shore grades D or F for violent crime on the national scale.

D or F 100%

Share of residents, by the violent crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

South Shore has less violent crime than 22 of the 135 neighborhoods in Chicago. It covers much of the Roseland, South Shore, and Woodlawn areas.


Violent crime rates and types in South Shore

CrimeGrade™ estimates South Shore has about 65 reported violent crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than triple the rate for the US as a whole and 91% more than Chicago as a whole.

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 South Shore, about 90% of the total.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
MurderF130.360.05
RapeF401.10.38
RobberyF1845.00.62
AssaultF2,15158.412.3

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 Chicago

The Chicago Police Department polices South Shore; these figures cover Chicago as a whole, 2022 to 2024.

In Chicago as a whole, 32% of aggravated assaults happen at a home, against 53% nationally. Robberies happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 65% of them.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
RobberyStreets and sidewalks (65%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assaultStreets and sidewalks (51%)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 South Shore and nearby neighborhoods

South Shore has less violent crime than 7 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods.

Nearby neighborhoods

PlaceViolentOverallResidents
South ShoreF0F36,800
Essex 1 mileF0F2,730
Windsor Park 1 mileF0F13,800
Avalon Park 2 milesF0F9,020
Hyde Park 2 milesB665C30,500
Show all 11
PlaceViolentOverallResidents
Cheltenham 2 milesF0F11,100
Italian Bowery 2 milesF0F5,770
Woodlawn 2 milesF0F23,800
South Chicago 2 milesF0F9,360
Avalon Highlands 2 milesF0F8,150
The Bush 2 milesF0F7,320
Grand Crossing 2 milesF0F20,500

Nearest first, with each place's distance from South Shore. Beside each violent crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with neighborhoods of similar size and density, South Shore has more violent crime than 98% of them.

Neighborhoods of similar size and density

PlaceViolentOverallResidents
South ShoreF0F36,800
Inner Richmond, San Francisco, CAA872C+37,100
North San Jose, San Jose, CAA853A-36,100
Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, NYA852B36,800
Kalihi-Palama, Honolulu, HIA-782B36,700
Show all 10
PlaceViolentOverallResidents
Downtown Seattle, Seattle, WAB+764B-36,900
University, Columbus, OHB+756B-35,800
La Sierra, Riverside, CAB+708B-37,600
City Heights East, San Diego, CAC455D+37,500
Central City, Los Angeles, CAF72F37,200
Hyde Park, Los Angeles, CAF0F36,000

Jobs, nightlife and walkability in South Shore

Among the traits that tend to go with violent crime, two set South Shore apart: it has 8 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 0.1 bars and nightlife spots for every 1,000 residents, against 0.6 nationally. Places like that tend to report less robbery, yet robbery runs higher here than that would suggest.

JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more robbery.8 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 93% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Bars and nightlifeBars, lounges, clubs and casinos. Places with more bars tend to report more assault and robbery.0.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 0.6Lower than for 79% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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. 63% of residents here live in walkable areas.B+ (70 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 77% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for South Shore: C+ (43 of 100).30 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 78% of residents of US city neighborhoods

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 South Shore

Counting the pain and suffering of victims, violent crime costs South Shore about $230 million a year, or $6,259 per resident. The costs that reach a bill, such as medical care, lost work and the justice system, come to about $51 million, or $1,379 per resident.

Billed cost of violent crime per resident, per year


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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
  • The Chicago Police Department publishes its own crime data

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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data