The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois


The most dangerous places in Illinois are Danville and Calumet Park for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Most dangerous cities in Illinois research summary. We analyzed the most recent FBI crime data using Saturday Night Science to determine the most dangerous cities in Illinois.

We examined the violent and property crime per capita statistics for every place with over 5,000 residents. In total, we analyzed 310 Illinois cities. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The most dangerous city in Illinois is Danville based on the most recent FBI crime data.

  • The violent crime rate in Illinois is 1,755 per 100k people.

  • The property crime rate in Illinois is 4,820 per 100k people.

  • The safest city in Illinois is Campton Hills.

  • Illinois is the 27th most dangerous state in the United States.

Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois Map


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Table | Methodology | FAQs | References


How do you navigate the most dangerous cities in Illinois when trying to make an informed decision on what city to call home? You look at the FBI crime data.

And that’s precisely what we did for you.

We used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data for violent and property crimes per capita in cities with a minimum population of 5,000. We’re not saying there aren’t little pockets of goodness in these Illinois cities. For example, Chicago isn’t nearly as bad as certain people would have you believe.

If you live in Illinois’ safest city, Campton Hills, keep enjoying life. If you don’t, grab your deep dish and read on.

What’s the most dangerous city in Illinois? The most dangerous city in Illinois is Danville.

If you want to know where the rest of the most dangerous places in Illinois are, look at the list below. Or head to the bottom for a complete list of crime everywhere in Illinois.

For more Illinois reading, check out:

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Illinois For 2024

Danville, IL

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 28,480
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,755 (Third most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,820 (Most dangerous)
Murders: 4
More on Danville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

While Mount Vernon takes the cake for most dangerous city statewide overall, there’s nowhere more violent in Illinois than Danville. Danville averaged a murder each month in 2022, giving the city the 30th highest murder rate in the state. With all that live-action violence going on every day, it’s no wonder that the Vermilion County War Museum is one of Danville’s biggest attractions.

It’s not like Danville doesn’t have its fair share of property crime either — each year, residents face a 1 in 20 chance of having their stuff damaged or stolen.

Calumet Park, IL

Source: Wikipedia User FlickreviewR | CC BY-SA 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,711
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 983 (Ninth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,351 (Fourth most dangerous)
Murders: 4
More on Calumet Park: Data | Cost Of Living

Calumet Park ranked as the second most dangerous place to live in Illinois. With a 983/100k rate of violent crime and a 4,351/100k rate of property crime, the risks for residents are evident. The village’s 66 incidents of violent crime, including 4, murders, and the prevalent property crimes totaling 292, underscore the challenges faced by local law enforcement.

Peoria, IL

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.5

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 110,551
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,188 (Sixth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,137 (13th most dangerous)
Murders: 24
More on Peoria: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Coming in as the third most dangerous place in Illinois is Peoria. Peoria is known for having one of the most scenic roads in the country, Grand View Drive, but with 602 car thefts occurring in 2022, we wonder how many people that got to experience it in 2022 were driving cars they actually owned.

Peoria also ranked as the sixth most violent place in Illinois, with 24 murders taking place and residents facing a 1 in 84 chance of being attacked in 2022.

Springfield, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Éovart Caçeir (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 112,549
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 770 (18th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,244 (Fifth most dangerous)
Murders: 7
More on Springfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

I’m going to go out on a limb here and posit that the Springfield the Simpsons live in isn’t in Illinois, based on the fact that the Simpson’s hometown only has one bumbling criminal at work. I’m also going to guess that Abraham Lincoln would be pretty disappointed with the state of affairs in Springfield these days.

Both violent crime and property crime rates in Springfield are in the top ten statewide, with 4,777 instances of theft, burglary, and vandalism, and 867 attacks and murders.

Hazel Crest, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Marcusmax | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 12,849
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 731 (19th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,424 (Ninth most dangerous)
Murders: 3
More on Hazel Crest: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Hazel Crest ranked as the fifth most dangerous place to live in Illinois. With a 731/100k rate of violent crime and a 3,424/100k rate of property crime, residents face significant risks.

Located in Cook County, Hazel Crest’s challenges with crime are manageable. The village’s strategic position in the state near major transportation hubs like Interstate 80 and the Tri-State Tollway could be leveraged for economic growth, which may aid in reducing crime rates over time.

Carbondale, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Explorecdale | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 21,612
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 786 (16th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,146 (12th most dangerous)
Murders: 4
More on Carbondale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Carbondale wasn’t even in the top twenty most dangerous places in Illinois last year, so hopefully, they can get crime back under control and disappear from this list by next year. The city in southern Illinois experienced 680 property crimes in 2022.

Additionally, Carbondale had the tenth highest rate of rape cases in Illinois, with one occurring just about every week, on average. The city also averaged about two aggravated assault cases a week.

So while the statues of mythical creatures at Boo Castle Park might be scary, you have a lot more to fear from the criminal elements of Carbondale.

Alton, IL

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 25,212
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 908 (13th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,121 (15th most dangerous)
Murders: 1
More on Alton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Situated about 20 miles north of St. Louis, Alton comes in as Illinois’ seventh most dangerous place to call home.

The overall crime rate in Alton is about 70% higher than the national average, and the city has the 13th highest violent crime rate in Illinois.

An aggravated assault occurred in Alton once every other day, on average. Just be glad that the statue of the world’s tallest man, Alton’s native son, hasn’t come to life and started committing crimes. At nearly nine feet tall, that would be truly terrifying.

Chicago Heights, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Dennisyerger84 | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 26,393
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,902 (Second most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 2,667 (30th most dangerous)
Murders: 5
More on Chicago Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

In Chicago Heights, residents face a substantial threat from violence and property crimes, making it one of the more hazardous locations in Illinois. With a violent crime rate of 1,902/100k and a property crime rate of 2,667/100k, safety is a significant concern. The figures speak for themselves; with 502 incidents of violent crime including 5 murders, the city holds the second highest position for the highest violent crime rate in the state.

Located in Cook County, this city’s struggle with crime is not to be understated. Being approximately 30 miles south of the bustling Chicago Loop, means that while it shares some challenges with larger urban areas, there is potential for change and a safer environment for its 26,393 residents.

Rockford, IL

Source: Wikipedia User Alexbaumgarner | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 146,710
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,430 (Fourth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 2,635 (31st most dangerous)
Murders: 16
More on Rockford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Rockford is the most populous city to make this list and the 5th biggest in Illinois. Having the fourth highest violent crime rate in the state is the big reason Rockford features on this list. With a robbery and five aggravated assaults happening just about every day, it’s safe to say that you’re not paranoid looking over your shoulder in Rockford.

Overall, residents of Rockford face a 1 in 69 chance of being the victim of a violent crime each year. If you’re stressing about the high crime rates in Rockford, you can try to mellow out in Anderson Japanese Gardens – just be sure to tell someone where you’re going before you head over.

Chicago, IL

Source: Flickr User ::RodrixParedes:: | CC BY 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,652,124
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 539 (32nd most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,132 (14th most dangerous)
Murders: 604
More on Chicago: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Chicago has garnered a reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in Illinois due to its high rates of violent crime, including shootings and homicides. The city’s struggle with gang violence is a significant contributor to the 14,321 incidents of violent crime.

Numerous gangs vie for control of different territories within the city, often resulting in turf wars that escalate into public shootings and retaliatory violence. In particular, the South Side and West Side neighborhoods have been notorious for such activities, where incidents of gun violence are disproportionately high compared to other areas of the city.

Furthermore, socioeconomic factors are critical to the city’s safety issues. Chicago faces substantial economic disparities, with some neighborhoods experiencing high levels of poverty, unemployment, and educational disadvantages.

Crime By City In Illinois

Rank City Population Total Crimes Per 100K Violent Crimes Per 100K Property Crimes Per 100K Murders
1 Danville 28,480 6,576 1,755 4,820 4
2 Calumet Park 6,711 5,334 983 4,351 4
3 Peoria 110,551 4,326 1,188 3,137 24
4 Springfield 112,549 5,014 770 4,244 7
5 Hazel Crest 12,849 4,155 731 3,424 3
6 Carbondale 21,612 3,933 786 3,146 4
7 Alton 25,212 4,029 908 3,121 1
8 Chicago Heights 26,393 4,569 1,902 2,667 5
9 Rockford 146,710 4,065 1,430 2,635 16
10 Chicago 2,652,124 3,672 539 3,132 604
11 Blue Island 21,577 3,489 583 2,905 2
12 Peoria Heights 5,764 3,365 693 2,671 0
13 Litchfield 6,705 4,921 447 4,474 0
14 Forest Park 13,740 4,032 473 3,558 0
15 Kewanee 12,338 3,768 461 3,306 0
16 Sauk Village 10,319 7,587 5,736 1,850 2
17 Decatur 68,789 3,179 705 2,474 16
18 Granite City 27,273 3,208 652 2,555 2
19 Moline 42,009 3,332 499 2,832 1
20 Rock Falls 8,687 3,234 506 2,728 0
21 Rock Island 36,235 3,154 562 2,591 11
22 Murphysboro 6,973 3,327 473 2,853 0
23 DeKalb 40,555 3,126 547 2,579 1
24 Rantoul 11,971 2,831 609 2,222 5
25 Silvis 7,922 4,039 353 3,685 0
26 Cahokia 13,738 2,431 684 1,746 4
27 Lansing 27,828 3,090 380 2,709 1
28 Metropolis 5,849 3,385 341 3,043 0
29 Champaign 89,815 2,368 645 1,722 7
30 Bartonville 5,789 2,677 483 2,193 0
31 Zion 24,348 2,460 505 1,954 5
32 Urbana 41,673 2,476 499 1,977 9
33 Oak Park 52,152 3,340 327 3,012 3
34 Salem 7,136 2,298 504 1,793 0
35 Fairview Heights 16,270 3,454 307 3,146 0
36 Alsip 18,246 3,134 334 2,800 0
37 East St. Louis 26,277 2,397 1,065 1,331 50
38 Wood River 10,350 2,734 357 2,376 0
39 South Holland 20,626 2,419 402 2,016 4
40 Effingham 12,188 3,043 311 2,732 0
41 Markham 12,289 1,969 602 1,367 7
42 Bradley 15,205 3,051 276 2,775 0
43 Glenwood 8,317 2,368 348 2,019 3
44 Carlinville 5,500 3,145 254 2,890 0
45 East Peoria 22,130 2,959 289 2,670 0
46 Pekin 31,252 2,607 329 2,278 5
47 Chillicothe 5,980 2,107 367 1,739 0
48 Steger 9,325 2,069 364 1,705 1
49 Centralia 12,123 2,425 1,311 1,113 0
50 Mount Vernon 14,670 2,290 1,165 1,124 0

Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous cities in Illinois for 2024?

Every year the FBI release two crime datasets on cities in Illinois. First a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in Illinois, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.

For our analysis, we focused on the 2022 data, specifically the 2022 Crime In The United States Report for Illinois.

So what criteria did we use? Have a look:

  • Violent Crimes Per Capita
  • Property Crimes Per Capita

In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered Illinois cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 310 cities in Illinois.

We then ranked each city from 1 to 310 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.

Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.

Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in Illinois — Danville. Any ties went to the smaller city.

This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. It is our tenth time ranking the most dangerous places to live in Illinois and is updated for 2024.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In Illinois FAQs

No, Illinois is not a dangerous state as it ranks as the #24 safest state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in Illinois ranks 18th most dangerous in the United States — 15.17% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Prairie State ranks 38th most dangerous in the United States — 20.21% better than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.

Yes, Chicago is a dangerous city. Chicago ranks as the #116 most dangerous out of 328 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Chicago might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Edison Park is the safest in Chicago, while West Garfield Park is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Chicago ranks 142nd highest in America — 2.45% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 102nd highest in the United States — 14.81% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022 and that no city in America is ‘dangerous’. Despite the uptick in murders, it’s nothing like you’d see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.

Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In Illinois

Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois Graph

Click To Enlarge

Summary: Locking It All Up In Illinois

So what is the most dangerous city in Illinois? After analyzing 310 cities in Illinois, Danville takes the top spot as the most dangerous city in Illinois based on the most recently reported FBI data — 2022.

The latest FBI crime data shows that Danville ranks as the most dangerous city in Illinois for 2024.

The most dangerous cities in Illinois are .

We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Danville and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up.

What’s the most dangerous city in Illinois? The most dangerous city in Illinois is Danville.

If you want to know where the rest of the most dangerous places in Illinois are, look at the list below. Or head to the bottom for a complete list of crime everywhere in Illinois.

Learn more about the safest places in Illinois.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.

Here are the safest cities in Illinois:

  1. Clarendon Hills (Pop. 8,787)
  2. Orland Park (Pop. 57,993)
  3. Lake Bluff (Pop. 5,548)
  4. Cary (Pop. 18,036)
  5. Benton (Pop. 6,826)
  6. Bartlett (Pop. 40,577)
  7. Sandwich (Pop. 7,167)
  8. Hawthorn Woods (Pop. 8,770)
  9. Spring Grove (Pop. 5,698)
  10. Campton Hills (Pop. 10,802)

For more Illinois reading, check out:

References

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

15 thoughts on “The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois

  1. This is a BS article. Chicago nor East St.Louis are mentioned. Those two cities are clearly more dangerous than Mt. Vernon or Centralia. But, of course those two cities are full of Obama constituents. It wouldn’t be politically correct to point out their problems.

    1. Yeah this is bs I’m from Alton il and I know dam well alton has more crime than Centralia and mount Vernon put together decatur peoria east st.louis should of been on here

  2. Grew up in Harvey that city was a great place to grow up in the 50s and 60s it sicking to drive through it now a days the mayor Kellogg should be IN jail had another guy running for mayor…..they burned his headquarters building to the ground

  3. Centralia was home from 1950 – 1965. I have nothing but wonderful memories from being raise there. With the Railroad pulling out, The Interstate going the wrong way the city begin to die. With the addition of the prison, the low lifes came by the hundreds to be near their love ones bringing the drugs, the gang bangers, pimps, crooks, and other low life. End of any opportunity for growth or employment. Tear down the prisons and the cockroaches will move on.

  4. Why is this article being posted now. Completey inaccurate. Article should have been posted in 2013. Harvey, IL is not the most dangerous. These are old statistics, and a misleading article. This “goal” of the writers of this website is to deliver “accurate” information, which is somthing that was not done. How about you gather current statistics. Bet that Riverdale, Dolton, Calumet City, Sauk Village are all above Harvey. Not to mention, you dont even have East St. Louis on here. What a horrible article

  5. Don’t know when this article was written, but Rockford was on the news recently as being the #1 highest violent crime in Illinois and #3 in the nation. I live in Rockford, and it is very violent. Recent being May 2016.

    1. The data set that led to Rockville being ranked as number one probably focused only on cities with populations over 100,000 because on a national scale there would be too many variables that would skew results when comparing cities and towns with smaller populations. This list focused on just one state, where fewer differences exist between smaller cities and allowed for the inclusion of places like Danville and the others. I haven’t visited Rockville lately, but I did grow up in Danville and go back occasionally. The changes over just the last decade are stark and there’s really no part of town that feels safe anymore, unlike when I was growing up and there was a mix of good, bad, and great neighborhoods. Now anyone who could get out has, and it’s just the desperate and the predators left.

  6. Where does Crete rate in crime in Chicago’s Suburbs, and how do it rate in comparison to Flossmoor? Please give stats.

  7. You left out Chicago. Secondly what is your source for these stats? Cause it doesn’t come close to matching anybody else’s.

  8. The house I was raised in Mount Vernon was razed because it became a Meth house. It may not be high on Murder like Chicago but crime is high.

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