Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Illinois?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Illinois with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 74 cities in the Prairie State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Illinois
- Posen
- Chicago Heights
- Harvey
- Glenwood
- Decatur
- La Salle
- Melrose Park
- Collinsville
- Peoria
- Chicago
What city has the highest murder rate in Illinois? The city with the highest murder rate in Illinois is Posen with 56.6 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Illinois with highest number of murders? The city in Illinois with the highest number of murders is Chicago with 499 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Illinois ranked. There were ‘only’ 74 cities in Illinois where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 197 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Prairie State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Illinois
- Cheapest Places To Live In Illinois
- Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Illinois For 2025
/10
Population: 5,296
Murders: 3 (24th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 56.6 (Most)
More on Posen: Data
/10
Population: 26,018
Murders: 11 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 42.3 (2nd Most)
More on Chicago Heights: Data
/10
Population: 19,264
Murders: 7 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 36.3 (3rd Most)
More on Harvey: Data
/10
Population: 8,214
Murders: 2 (37th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.3 (4th Most)
More on Glenwood: Data
/10
Population: 68,301
Murders: 15 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.0 (5th Most)
More on Decatur: Data
6. La Salle
Population: 9,353
Murders: 2 (37th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.4 (6th Most)
More on La Salle:
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Population: 23,494
Murders: 5 (14th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.3 (7th Most)
More on Melrose Park: Data
8. Collinsville
/10
Population: 23,799
Murders: 5 (14th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.0 (8th Most)
More on Collinsville:
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Population: 110,118
Murders: 21 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.1 (9th Most)
More on Peoria: Data
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Population: 2,628,298
Murders: 499 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.0 (10th Most)
More on Chicago: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Illinois
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Illinois for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 74 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Posen. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Illinois. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Illinois For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Illinois with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Illinois are Posen, Chicago Heights, Harvey, Glenwood, Decatur, La Salle, Melrose Park, Collinsville, Peoria, and Chicago.
For more Illinois reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Illinois
- Fastest Growing Cities In Illinois
- Safest Places In Illinois
- Best Cities For Singles In Illinois
- Worst Places To Live In Illinois
Murder Rates By City In Illinois
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Posen, IL | 5296 | 3 | 56.65 |
| 2 | Chicago Heights, IL | 26018 | 11 | 42.28 |
| 3 | Harvey, IL | 19264 | 7 | 36.34 |
| 4 | Glenwood, IL | 8214 | 2 | 24.35 |
| 5 | Decatur, IL | 68301 | 15 | 21.96 |
| 6 | La Salle, IL | 9353 | 2 | 21.38 |
| 7 | Melrose Park, IL | 23494 | 5 | 21.28 |
| 8 | Collinsville, IL | 23799 | 5 | 21.01 |
| 9 | Peoria, IL | 110118 | 21 | 19.07 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | 2628298 | 499 | 18.99 |
| 11 | Country Club Hills, IL | 15904 | 3 | 18.86 |
| 12 | Troy, IL | 11235 | 2 | 17.8 |
| 13 | East Alton, IL | 5639 | 1 | 17.73 |
| 14 | Pontoon Beach, IL | 5811 | 1 | 17.21 |
| 15 | Metropolis, IL | 5843 | 1 | 17.11 |
| 16 | Alsip, IL | 18048 | 3 | 16.62 |
| 17 | Pekin, IL | 31053 | 5 | 16.1 |
| 18 | Waukegan, IL | 87412 | 14 | 16.02 |
| 19 | Hazel Crest, IL | 12681 | 2 | 15.77 |
| 20 | Calumet Park, IL | 6639 | 1 | 15.06 |
| 21 | South Holland, IL | 20342 | 3 | 14.75 |
| 22 | University Park, IL | 6966 | 1 | 14.36 |
| 23 | La Grange, IL | 15599 | 2 | 12.82 |
| 24 | Oak Brook, IL | 7964 | 1 | 12.56 |
| 25 | DeKalb, IL | 40222 | 5 | 12.43 |
| 26 | Alton, IL | 25025 | 3 | 11.99 |
| 27 | Rockford, IL | 145873 | 17 | 11.65 |
| 28 | Rock Island, IL | 35883 | 4 | 11.15 |
| 29 | Homewood, IL | 18418 | 2 | 10.86 |
| 30 | Sauk Village, IL | 9422 | 1 | 10.61 |
| 31 | Hoffman Estates, IL | 49843 | 5 | 10.03 |
| 32 | Highland, IL | 9998 | 1 | 10.0 |
| 33 | Crest Hill, IL | 20032 | 2 | 9.98 |
| 34 | Wood River, IL | 10309 | 1 | 9.7 |
| 35 | Park Forest, IL | 20627 | 2 | 9.7 |
| 36 | Worth, IL | 10423 | 1 | 9.59 |
| 37 | Manhattan, IL | 10773 | 1 | 9.28 |
| 38 | Carbondale, IL | 21659 | 2 | 9.23 |
| 39 | Freeport, IL | 23177 | 2 | 8.63 |
| 40 | Rantoul, IL | 12024 | 1 | 8.32 |
| 41 | Zion, IL | 24162 | 2 | 8.28 |
| 42 | Streator, IL | 12163 | 1 | 8.22 |
| 43 | Urbana, IL | 38597 | 3 | 7.77 |
| 44 | Granite City, IL | 26927 | 2 | 7.43 |
| 45 | Belleville, IL | 40820 | 3 | 7.35 |
| 46 | Burbank, IL | 27986 | 2 | 7.15 |
| 47 | Danville, IL | 28149 | 2 | 7.11 |
| 48 | Bolingbrook, IL | 74138 | 5 | 6.74 |
| 49 | Bradley, IL | 15159 | 1 | 6.6 |
| 50 | Cicero, IL | 80455 | 5 | 6.21 |
| 51 | Fairview Heights, IL | 16156 | 1 | 6.19 |
| 52 | Franklin Park, IL | 17891 | 1 | 5.59 |
| 53 | Champaign, IL | 89687 | 5 | 5.57 |
| 54 | Hanover Park, IL | 35899 | 2 | 5.57 |
| 55 | Sycamore, IL | 18697 | 1 | 5.35 |
| 56 | Elgin, IL | 112470 | 6 | 5.33 |
| 57 | Evergreen Park, IL | 18890 | 1 | 5.29 |
| 58 | Romeoville, IL | 40242 | 2 | 4.97 |
| 59 | Geneva, IL | 21164 | 1 | 4.73 |
| 60 | Blue Island, IL | 21344 | 1 | 4.69 |
| 61 | Springfield, IL | 112781 | 5 | 4.43 |
| 62 | Glenview, IL | 46623 | 2 | 4.29 |
| 63 | Oak Forest, IL | 26016 | 1 | 3.84 |
| 64 | Lansing, IL | 27525 | 1 | 3.63 |
| 65 | Des Plaines, IL | 57672 | 2 | 3.47 |
| 66 | Joliet, IL | 149940 | 5 | 3.33 |
| 67 | North Chicago, IL | 30382 | 1 | 3.29 |
| 68 | O’Fallon, IL | 32059 | 1 | 3.12 |
| 69 | Aurora, IL | 176712 | 5 | 2.83 |
| 70 | Schaumburg, IL | 75140 | 2 | 2.66 |
| 71 | Oak Park, IL | 51655 | 1 | 1.94 |
| 72 | Palatine, IL | 64407 | 1 | 1.55 |
| 73 | Arlington Heights, IL | 74094 | 1 | 1.35 |
| 74 | Evanston, IL | 74413 | 1 | 1.34 |