The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois - 2018 Ranking!

Best known as “The Land of Lincoln”, Illinois gets its nickname from the fact that Abraham Lincoln spent most of his life here.

Illinois is a leading urban, agricultural, and manufacturing state. As a matter of fact, Chicago was where the world’s first skyscraper, at 10 stories tall. It is also home to the largest public library in the state, as well as the Art Institute of Chicago. History buffs and museum-goers will enjoy the various historical sites. Movie lovers can enjoy drive-in movie theaters along Route 66.

About 50 different crops and grains are grown in the state, livestock is also raised on its prairies. This state is the leading producer of soybeans in the nation, making it the state with the fifth largest income from agriculture.

If you are considering moving to Illinois or you already live there, make sure to continue reading to find out how safe Illinois is compared to other states, and learn about its safest cities based on the most recent FBI crime report.

Ranking at #20 in terms of safety, “The Prairie State” is the 5th most populous in the US with over 12.8 million residents. When it comes to safe and dangerous cities, Hawthorn Wood, which previously ranked #7 in terms of safety, managed to climb its way up and is now the safest city in the state with just a 100 crime rate per 100,000 people.

Chicago, one of the major cities in the state and the nation with a population of approximately 2,725,153 residents, makes the list of the most dangerous cities, as it ranks #19 with a 4296 crime rate per 100,000 people.

Ranking higher than Chicago is the capital Springfield, as it ranked #7 on the most dangerous cities list, with a 5541 crime rate per 100,000 people. On the other hand, Rockford, Illinois’ third most populous city with 152,871 residents ranked way below the list at #292 in terms of safety. The city of Joliet also ranks #196 safe-wise and Naperville, a Chicago suburb, ranked at #87.

Find out if your city is one of the safest in the state, then review our resources for crime prevention tips and home security information.


More Information About Illinois

Capital: Springfield

Number of Counties: 102

Overall Population: 12,801,539  inhabitants

Land Area: 57,914.6 square miles

Education Statistics: 32.3% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher, (percent of persons age 25 years+, 2011-2015)

Unemployment Rate: 5.0%

Crime Stats In Illinois

Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants: 436.3

Property Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants: 2,049.0

Illinois’s Safety Rank: #20


Disclaimer:

In creating this ranking, we excluded all cities with population less than 5,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.

Table 1: Top 50 Safest Cities In Illinois

Rank City Population Total Crime Rate
Per 100,000 Inhabitants
1 Hawthorn Woods
Previous rank: 7
8002 99.0
2 Western Springs
Previous rank: 4
13446 260.0
3 Channahon
Previous rank: 10
12597 278.0
4 Gilberts
Previous rank: 5
7792 321.0
5 Campton Hills
Previous rank: 6
11390 342.0
6 Pingree Grove
Previous rank: Not Ranked
7162 349.0
7 Waterloo
Previous rank: 2
10284 360.0
8 Lakemoor
Previous rank: 13
6006 399.0
9 Mount Zion
Previous rank: 23
5865 409.0
10 Clarendon Hills
Previous rank: 20
8724 436.0
11 Mahomet
Previous rank: 34
8216 438.0
12 Lincolnshire
Previous rank: 31
7282 453.0
13 Manhattan
Previous rank: 8
7464 456.0
14 Homer Glen
Previous rank: 24
24421 500.0
15 Lindenhurst
Previous rank: 12
24421 500.0
16 Cary
Previous rank: 28
17903 531.0
17 Buffalo Grove
Previous rank: 18
41511 532.0
18 Willow Springs
Previous rank: 9
5701 544.0
19 Pinckneyville
Previous rank: 29
5336 562.0
20 Palos Hills
Previous rank: 21
17578 569.0
21 Elburn
Previous rank: Not Ranked
5776 571.0
22 Mascoutah
Previous rank: 15
8063 583.0
23 Lake in the Hills
Previous rank: 14
29022 586.0
24 Lake Forest
Previous rank: 14
19410 598.0
25 Winfield
Previous rank: 3
9763 615.0
26 Winthrop Harbor
Previous rank: 98
6803 632.0
27 Lake Villa
Previous rank: 49
8849 666.0
28 Spring Grove
Previous rank: 11
5698 667.0
29 Deerfield
Previous rank: 11
19176 667.0
30 Wheaton
Previous rank: 37
53848 676.0
31 Maryville
Previous rank: 91
7978 677.0
32 Bartlett
Previous rank: 16
41600 678.0
33 Orland Hills
Previous rank: 16
41600 689.0
34 Chatham
Previous rank: 47
12497 696.0
35 Hampshire
Previous rank: 22
6248 704.0
36 Palos Heights
Previous rank: 17
12549 709.0
37 Northfield
Previous rank: 25
5494 728.0
38 Winnetka
Previous rank: 33
12526 735.0
39 Highwood
Previous rank: 42
5337 749.0
40 Sandwich
Previous rank: Not Ranked
7355 762.0
41 Prospect Heights
Previous rank: 38
16410 762.0
42 Barrington
Previous rank: Not Ranked
10357 763.0
43 Hanover Park
Previous rank: 39
38402 769.0
44 Columbia
Previous rank: 71
10288 778.0
45 La Grange Park
Previous rank: 19
13612 793.0
46 Glen Carbon
Previous rank: 72
12971 817.0
47 Round Lake
Previous rank: 73
18484 823.0
48 Huntley
Previous rank: 46
26345 836.0
49 Burr Ridge
Previous rank: 45
10863 837.0
50 Chester
Previous rank: 110
8590 839.0

Table 2: Top 50 Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois

Rank City Population Total Crime Rate
Per 100,000 Inhabitants
1 North Riverside
Previous rank: 4
6663 7519.0
2 Danville
Previous rank: 1
31931 7504.0
3 Lansing
Previous rank: 12
28347 7052.0
4 Oak Brook
Previous rank: 5
8130 7036.0
5 Mount Vernon
Previous rank: 2
15053 6444.0
6 Murphysboro
Previous rank: 15
7726 6368.0
7 Springfield
Previous rank: 7
116563 5541.0
8 Salem
Previous rank: 16
7249 5518.0
9 Rockford
Previous rank: 8
147363 5434.0
10 Fairview Heights
Previous rank: 18
16773 5431.0
11 Cahokia
Previous rank: 24
14242 5139.0
12 East Saint Louis
Previous rank: 3
26769 5139.0
13 Broadview
Previous rank: 22
7914 5067.0
14 Kankakee
Previous rank: Not Ranked
26509 4908.0
15 Peoria
Previous rank: 19
115099 4608.0
16 Belleville
Previous rank: 20
41638 4592.0
17 Alton
Previous rank: 68
26829 4532.0
18 Metropolis
Previous rank: 10
6290 4467.0
19 Chicago
Previous rank: 29
2725153 4296.0
20 Silvis
Previous rank: 46
7487 4261.0
21 Calumet City
Previous rank: 14
37022 4238.0
22 Chicago Ridge
Previous rank: 38
14383 4200.0
23 Decatur
Previous rank: 32
72694 4194.0
24 Gurnee
Previous rank: 21
31014 4166.0
25 Forest Park
Previous rank: 28
14113 4060.0
26 Urbana
Previous rank: Not Ranked
42461 4016.0
27 Wood River
Previous rank: Not Ranked
10225 3990.0
28 Champaign
Previous rank: 41
87071 3977.0
29 Carlinville
Previous rank: 33
5615 3953.0
30 Moline
Previous rank: 42
42517 3893.0
31 Hazel Crest
Previous rank: 47
14119 3888.0
32 De Kalb
Previous rank: 61
43034 3860.0
33 Creve Coeur
Previous rank: 40
5235 3802.0
34 Herrin
Previous rank: 60
12985 3766.0
35 Quincy
Previous rank: 52
40799 3755.0
36 Lincolnwood
Previous rank: 54
12655 3746.0
37 Carbondale
Previous rank: 39
26373 3723.0
38 Kewanee
Previous rank: 30
12460 3708.0
39 Olney
Previous rank: 58
8984 3695.0
40 Sterling
Previous rank: 25
14983 3671.0
41 Hoopeston
Previous rank: 23
5194 3581.0
42 Galesburg
Previous rank: 51
31093 3573.0
43 Bradley
Previous rank: 27
15561 3547.0
44 Jacksonville
Previous rank: 53
19039 3482.0
45 Countryside
Previous rank: Not Ranked
6015 3441.0
46 Jerseyville
Previous rank: 57
8470 3365.0
47 Matteson
Previous rank: 48
19226 3360.0
48 Watseka
Previous rank: Not Ranked
5027 3342.0
49 Bartonville
Previous rank: 34
6367 3282.0
50 Effingham
Previous rank: 31
12660 3270.0

Table 3: All Cities, Ranked By Population

City Population Total Crime Rate
Per 100,000 Inhabitants
Safety Rank
Chicago 2725153 4296.0 282
Aurora 201159 1739.0 163
Naperville 148070 1134.0 87
Joliet 147886 2224.0 196
Rockford 147363 5434.0 292
Springfield 116563 5541.0 294
Peoria 115099 4608.0 286
Elgin 112886 1595.0 148
Waukegan 88337 3097.0 241
Champaign 87071 3977.0 273
Cicero 83807 2359.0 206
Bloomington 78604 2105.0 191
Arlington Heights 76077 1025.0 75
Evanston 75716 2379.0 207
Schaumburg 74774 2352.0 205
Bolingbrook 74471 1480.0 134
Decatur 72694 4194.0 278
Palatine 69447 917.0 60
Skokie 64819 2646.0 219
Orland Park 59009 2304.0 204
Des Plaines 58726 991.0 71
Tinley Park 57213 1423.0 128
Oak Lawn 56791 1789.0 169
Berwyn 56305 2495.0 213
Mount Prospect 54839 1077.0 82
Normal 54727 2236.0 199
Wheaton 53848 676.0 30
Oak Park 52365 3061.0 239
Hoffman Estates 52177 927.0 62
Downers Grove 49894 1371.0 123
Glenview 48008 1358.0 121
Elmhurst 46318 1213.0 98
Lombard 43866 2261.0 201
Plainfield 43063 852.0 53
De Kalb 43034 3860.0 269
Moline 42517 3893.0 271
Urbana 42461 4016.0 275
Belleville 41638 4592.0 285
Orland Hills 41600 689.0 33
Bartlett 41600 678.0 32
Buffalo Grove 41511 532.0 17
Quincy 40799 3755.0 266
Carol Stream 40473 845.0 52
Crystal Lake 40374 1655.0 152
Romeoville 39727 1681.0 158
Carpentersville 38664 1808.0 171
Rock Island 38543 3113.0 243
Hanover Park 38402 769.0 43
Wheeling 38158 1234.0 100
Park Ridge 37805 1024.0 74
Addison 37246 1887.0 175
Calumet City 37022 4238.0 280
Oswego 34681 1194.0 95
Glendale Heights 34472 1743.0 165
Northbrook 33746 1165.0 91
Saint Charles 33556 1418.0 127
Woodridge 33441 1445.0 130
Elk Grove Village 33255 1609.0 149
Pekin 33052 2430.0 208
Danville 31931 7504.0 299
Mundelein 31685 998.0 72
Galesburg 31093 3573.0 259
Gurnee 31014 4166.0 277
Algonquin 30673 1281.0 107
Chicago Heights 30273 3237.0 249
Niles 29886 2446.0 210
Highland Park 29737 962.0 68
Burbank 29165 1625.0 150
O'Fallon 29061 1937.0 181
Lake in the Hills 29022 586.0 23
Granite City 28899 2737.0 222
Lansing 28347 7052.0 298
Glen Ellyn 28282 955.0 67
Oak Forest 28088 1218.0 99
Round Lake Beach 27796 2227.0 198
West Chicago 27490 1190.0 94
Wilmette 27474 1161.0 89
Alton 26829 4532.0 284
East Saint Louis 26769 5139.0 289
McHenry 26581 1666.0 155
Vernon Hills 26574 1493.0 140
Batavia 26558 1657.0 154
Kankakee 26509 4908.0 287
Carbondale 26373 3723.0 264
Huntley 26345 836.0 48
New Lenox 26085 1254.0 103
Melrose Park 25369 1466.0 132
Woodstock 25259 1727.0 162
Lockport 25223 852.0 54
Edwardsville 25133 1277.0 105
Belvidere 25049 1377.0 124
Westmont 24992 1256.0 104
Elmwood Park 24829 1490.0 138
Collinsville 24599 3207.0 246
Homer Glen 24421 500.0 14
Lindenhurst 24421 500.0 15
Freeport 24257 2886.0 229
Rolling Meadows 24205 1239.0 101
Zion 24067 3224.0 247
Maywood 23994 3072.0 240
Blue Island 23637 2886.0 228
Morton Grove 23478 929.0 63
Loves Park 23349 2282.0 203
Lisle 23063 954.0 66
Roselle 23037 903.0 57
East Peoria 23008 3138.0 245
Machesney Park 22816 2814.0 226
South Elgin 22436 1288.0 108
Darien 22285 1669.0 156
South Holland 22042 2550.0 214
Villa Park 21976 1657.0 153
Park Forest 21947 1950.0 182
Geneva 21864 905.0 58
East Moline 21359 3099.0 242
Crest Hill 21211 1131.0 85
Charleston 21067 949.0 64
Grayslake 20916 1759.0 166
Libertyville 20454 1349.0 119
Mokena 20156 1320.0 113
Lake Zurich 20051 1327.0 116
Evergreen Park 19836 3232.0 248
Montgomery 19703 1766.0 167
Lake Forest 19410 598.0 24
Homewood 19379 3132.0 244
Alsip 19357 2919.0 231
Bellwood 19353 2630.0 218
Matteson 19226 3360.0 254
Deerfield 19176 667.0 29
Jacksonville 19039 3482.0 257
Brookfield 18935 1489.0 137
Frankfort 18822 1026.0 76
Yorkville 18752 976.0 70
Bourbonnais 18552 2011.0 185
Round Lake 18484 823.0 47
Bensenville 18454 1691.0 160
Macomb 18402 1989.0 184
Franklin Park 18306 1300.0 110
Ottawa 18263 2261.0 200
Mattoon 18026 2446.0 211
Cary 17903 531.0 16
Hinsdale 17790 1045.0 77
Sycamore 17750 1516.0 141
North Aurora 17599 1483.0 135
Palos Hills 17578 569.0 20
Shorewood 16968 1196.0 96
Washington 16965 1132.0 86
Lemont 16927 862.0 55
Country Club Hills 16844 2909.0 230
Fairview Heights 16773 5431.0 291
Westchester 16729 1673.0 157
Prospect Heights 16410 762.0 41
Bridgeview 16397 3013.0 238
Morton 16310 975.0 69
La Grange 15754 1339.0 118
Bradley 15561 3547.0 258
Dixon 15246 1915.0 178
Mount Vernon 15053 6444.0 296
Sterling 14983 3671.0 261
Midlothian 14850 2761.0 224
Norridge 14629 2919.0 232
Morris 14507 2227.0 197
Chicago Ridge 14383 4200.0 279
Antioch 14302 1580.0 147
Cahokia 14242 5139.0 290
Hickory Hills 14134 1096.0 84
Hazel Crest 14119 3888.0 270
Canton 14116 1473.0 133
Forest Park 14113 4060.0 276
Wood Dale 13943 1370.0 122
Lincoln 13867 2618.0 217
Richton Park 13702 2605.0 216
La Grange Park 13612 793.0 45
Swansea 13533 2083.0 188
Western Springs 13446 260.0 2
Warrenville 13342 1071.0 81
Streator 13082 2974.0 233
Shiloh 13056 1930.0 179
Rantoul 13018 3011.0 237
Herrin 12985 3766.0 267
Glen Carbon 12971 817.0 46
Effingham 12660 3270.0 251
Lincolnwood 12655 3746.0 265
Channahon 12597 278.0 3
Palos Heights 12549 709.0 36
Winnetka 12526 735.0 38
Chatham 12497 696.0 34
Kewanee 12460 3708.0 263
Northlake 12308 2177.0 194
Schiller Park 11807 2101.0 190
Pontiac 11771 2107.0 192
Summit 11457 2217.0 195
Campton Hills 11390 342.0 5
Plano 11358 951.0 65
River Forest 11203 2750.0 223
Burr Ridge 10863 837.0 49
Taylorville 10795 1297.0 109
Worth 10781 1280.0 106
Lyons 10719 1241.0 102
Roscoe 10523 1321.0 114
Fox Lake 10495 1525.0 142
Sauk Village 10489 1630.0 151
Barrington 10357 763.0 42
Columbia 10288 778.0 44
Waterloo 10284 360.0 7
Wood River 10225 3990.0 274
River Grove 10216 1566.0 146
Troy 10063 874.0 56
Peru 9886 1740.0 164
Winfield 9763 615.0 25
Steger 9502 3241.0 250
Flossmoor 9479 1424.0 129
Bethalto 9314 1332.0 117
Monmouth 9261 2462.0 212
La Salle 9194 2067.0 187
Harvard 9146 1323.0 115
Rock Falls 9027 1706.0 161
Glenwood 8996 1690.0 159
Olney 8984 3695.0 262
Harrisburg 8863 2809.0 225
Lake Villa 8849 666.0 27
Riverside 8826 1484.0 136
Itasca 8825 907.0 59
Clarendon Hills 8724 436.0 10
Willowbrook 8625 1971.0 183
Chester 8590 839.0 50
Jerseyville 8470 3365.0 255
Paris 8356 1843.0 172
Mahomet 8216 438.0 11
Crete 8171 1909.0 177
Oak Brook 8130 7036.0 297
Island Lake 8079 842.0 51
Mascoutah 8063 583.0 22
West Frankfort 8044 2436.0 209
Hawthorn Woods 8002 99.0 1
Maryville 7978 677.0 31
Broadview 7914 5067.0 288
Gilberts 7792 321.0 4
Murphysboro 7726 6368.0 295
South Beloit 7639 1768.0 168
Robinson 7616 1799.0 170
Princeton 7534 1553.0 145
Rockton 7494 2268.0 202
Silvis 7487 4261.0 281
Marengo 7467 1004.0 73
Manhattan 7464 456.0 13
Round Lake Park 7415 1186.0 93
West Dundee 7406 1445.0 131
Park City 7357 1536.0 143
Sandwich 7355 762.0 40
Lincolnshire 7282 453.0 12
Salem 7249 5518.0 293
Mendota 7173 1311.0 111
Pingree Grove 7162 349.0 6
Mount Carmel 6982 2822.0 227
Litchfield 6852 2700.0 221
Winthrop Harbor 6803 632.0 26
Stickney 6785 1164.0 90
North Riverside 6663 7519.0 300
Greenville 6594 1881.0 174
Geneseo 6522 1396.0 125
Bartonville 6367 3282.0 252
Johnsburg 6303 2094.0 189
Metropolis 6290 4467.0 283
Chillicothe 6253 2031.0 186
Hampshire 6248 704.0 35
Braidwood 6160 1168.0 92
East Alton 6152 2975.0 234
Countryside 6015 3441.0 256
Lakemoor 6006 399.0 8
Posen 5992 1936.0 180
Peoria Heights 5960 3003.0 236
Du Quoin 5919 1351.0 120
Carterville 5881 1071.0 80
Mount Zion 5865 409.0 9
Elburn 5776 571.0 21
Willow Springs 5701 544.0 18
Spring Grove 5698 667.0 28
Wilmington 5683 1144.0 88
Lake Bluff 5666 1059.0 78
Beardstown 5664 1095.0 83
Hillsboro 5635 1490.0 139
Carlinville 5615 3953.0 272
Pontoon Beach 5598 2162.0 193
Pana 5562 1888.0 176
Monticello 5501 927.0 61
Northfield 5494 728.0 37
Coal City 5469 1408.0 126
Eureka 5388 1207.0 97
Highwood 5337 749.0 39
Pinckneyville 5336 562.0 19
Spring Valley 5269 1537.0 144
Creve Coeur 5235 3802.0 268
Berkeley 5201 1865.0 173
Hoopeston 5194 3581.0 260
Colona 5096 1315.0 112
Milan 5082 2696.0 220
Monee 5068 1065.0 79
Olympia Fields 5031 2982.0 235
Watseka 5027 3342.0 253
Fairfield 5019 2590.0 215

Top Security Companies in Your Area

Protect Your Home
Call now for a free quote
888-389-2987
Adt logoa

Six-Month Money Back Guarantee on all Protect Your Home Packages! 888-389-2987


ADT Authorized Premier Provider. Call now for a free quote 888-389-2987. Protect Your Home provides true nationwide monitoring with 335 call centers all around the country.

Protect America
Logo protectamerica
Vivint
Vivint logoa
Frontpoint
Frontpoint logoa
Link Interactive
Link interactive logoa

Latest Articles