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Most Dangerous Cities in Illinois 2024

Avg Violent Crime Rate

248
0.5x avg
per 100K (these cities)

Avg Murder Rate

2.8
0.5x avg
per 100K (national: 6.2)

Avg Property Crime Rate

1,475
per 100K (these cities)

Crime Hotspots in Illinois (2024)

These 77 cities reported the highest crime rates in Illinois. On average, they experience 0.6x the national crime rate, with violent crime averaging 248 per 100,000 (national average: 473).

Danville, IL tops the list with a total crime rate of 7,361 per 100,000 — 2.7x the national average. Its violent crime rate of 1,684 per 100K is 3.6x the national average.

Full Rankings

# City State Population Total Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Murder Rate vs National
1 Danville IL 27,905 7,360.7 1,684.3 3.6 +167%
2 Springfield IL 111,965 5,812.5 901.2 8.0 +111%
3 Peoria IL 109,677 5,629.3 1,344.9 12.8 +105%
4 Chicago IL 2,638,698 4,012.2 539.9 17.5 +46%
5 Chicago Heights IL 25,802 3,964.8 1,232.5 19.4 +44%
6 Moline IL 41,659 3,718.3 384.1 12.0 +35%
7 Rockford IL 145,280 3,598.6 1,081.4 13.1 +31%
8 Galesburg IL 28,864 3,478.4 512.8 6.9 +26%
9 Decatur IL 67,934 3,471.0 603.5 7.4 +26%
10 Rock Island IL 35,841 3,258.8 544.1 5.6 +18%
11 Granite City IL 26,708 3,111.4 621.5 3.7 +13%
12 Urbana IL 38,204 3,036.3 544.5 2.6 +10%
13 Dekalb IL 40,208 2,907.4 393.0 0.0 +6%
14 Skokie IL 64,047 2,890.1 204.5 0.0 +5%
15 Evanston IL 74,178 2,883.6 141.6 0.0 +5%
16 Champaign IL 89,466 2,780.9 501.9 5.6 +1%
17 Schaumburg IL 74,882 2,490.6 92.1 0.0 +-10%
18 Gurnee IL 30,041 2,410.0 166.4 3.3 +-12%
19 Belleville IL 40,225 2,344.3 532.0 14.9 +-15%
20 Niles IL 29,099 2,278.4 55.0 0.0 +-17%
21 Lansing IL 27,309 2,230.0 391.8 3.7 +-19%
22 Burbank IL 27,784 2,163.1 198.0 0.0 +-21%
23 Waukegan IL 87,155 2,059.6 445.2 5.7 +-25%
24 Oak Lawn IL 54,953 1,907.1 180.2 3.6 +-31%
25 Normal IL 52,573 1,879.3 329.1 3.8 +-32%
26 Elk Grove Village IL 30,912 1,818.1 122.9 0.0 +-34%
27 Lombard IL 43,576 1,716.5 117.0 0.0 +-38%
28 Joliet IL 150,569 1,594.6 350.0 0.0 +-42%
29 Cicero IL 79,748 1,586.3 352.4 5.0 +-42%
30 Aurora IL 170,585 1,573.4 276.7 0.6 +-43%
31 Vernon Hills IL 26,629 1,524.7 60.1 7.5 +-45%
32 Elgin IL 112,879 1,368.7 266.7 4.4 +-50%
33 Glenview IL 46,371 1,362.9 153.1 0.0 +-50%
34 Des Plaines IL 57,218 1,260.1 120.6 0.0 +-54%
35 Berwyn IL 53,581 1,252.3 119.5 0.0 +-54%
36 Algonquin IL 30,289 1,238.1 59.4 0.0 +-55%
37 Northbrook IL 33,610 1,225.8 17.9 0.0 +-55%
38 O'fallon IL 31,856 1,214.8 194.6 3.1 +-56%
39 Wilmette IL 26,685 1,210.4 22.5 0.0 +-56%
40 Crystal Lake IL 41,074 1,207.6 104.7 0.0 +-56%
41 Romeoville IL 41,007 1,163.2 151.2 0.0 +-58%
42 St. Charles IL 32,529 1,155.9 92.2 3.1 +-58%
43 Hoffman Estates IL 49,467 1,142.2 149.6 0.0 +-59%
44 Addison IL 35,011 1,034.0 140.0 0.0 +-62%
45 Palatine IL 63,960 1,010.0 68.8 1.6 +-63%
46 Downers Grove IL 49,567 984.5 113.0 2.0 +-64%
47 Round Lake Beach IL 26,644 983.3 82.6 3.8 +-64%
48 New Lenox IL 28,315 978.3 53.0 0.0 +-64%
49 Mount Prospect IL 53,523 977.2 89.7 1.9 +-64%
50 Wheeling IL 37,251 971.8 64.4 2.7 +-65%
51 Naperville IL 150,521 967.3 83.7 0.7 +-65%
52 Bolingbrook IL 74,177 961.2 182.0 1.4 +-65%
53 Park Ridge IL 37,379 944.4 96.3 0.0 +-66%
54 Arlington Heights IL 73,545 930.0 50.3 0.0 +-66%
55 Carpentersville IL 36,833 890.5 111.3 0.0 +-68%
56 Elmhurst IL 45,206 882.6 59.7 0.0 +-68%
57 Woodridge IL 33,387 877.6 59.9 9.0 +-68%
58 Batavia IL 26,208 843.3 91.6 0.0 +-69%
59 Streamwood IL 37,245 835.0 128.9 2.7 +-70%
60 Carol Stream IL 38,703 780.3 69.8 2.6 +-72%
61 Mundelein IL 31,876 771.7 47.1 6.3 +-72%
62 North Chicago IL 30,318 742.1 178.1 0.0 +-73%
63 Plainfield IL 48,311 741.0 58.0 0.0 +-73%
64 Buffalo Grove IL 42,283 737.9 21.3 0.0 +-73%
65 Mchenry IL 28,563 714.2 94.5 7.0 +-74%
66 Edwardsville IL 26,663 712.6 30.0 0.0 +-74%
67 Lockport IL 26,668 660.0 67.5 0.0 +-76%
68 Woodstock IL 25,731 637.4 93.3 0.0 +-77%
69 Glen Ellyn IL 28,175 628.2 49.7 0.0 +-77%
70 Belvidere IL 25,302 592.8 154.1 0.0 +-78%
71 Wheaton IL 52,649 592.6 51.3 0.0 +-78%
72 Oswego IL 37,893 585.9 34.3 0.0 +-79%
73 Oak Forest IL 25,823 526.7 89.1 0.0 +-81%
74 Lake In The Hills IL 28,573 511.0 73.5 0.0 +-81%
75 Yorkville IL 25,788 461.5 73.7 0.0 +-83%
76 Huntley IL 28,439 457.1 28.1 0.0 +-83%
77 Bartlett IL 39,656 418.6 27.7 0.0 +-85%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous city in Illinois?

Danville, IL has the highest crime rate in Illinois at 7,360.7 per 100,000 residents in 2024.

What makes a city dangerous?

High crime rates, particularly violent crime, indicate elevated risk. Cities on this list average a violent crime rate of 248 per 100K — 0.5x the national average of 473.

Is the crime rate getting worse?

Crime trends vary by city. Some cities on this list have seen decreasing rates in recent years while others have increased. Visit individual city pages for year-over-year trend data.

See Also

Safest cities in Illinois Crime statistics by state Compare two cities

Understanding High Crime Rates

High crime rates often correlate with factors like poverty, unemployment, population density, and policing resources — not a city's inherent character. Many cities on this list have neighborhoods that are quite safe, while others face concentrated challenges in specific areas.

Crime rates also reflect reporting practices: cities with well-funded police departments may report more crimes than those with fewer resources.

Most Dangerous Cities by State

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