The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Illinois For 2024

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 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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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 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 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.

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