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 101 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
What city has the highest murder rate in Illinois? The city with the highest murder rate in Illinois is East St. Louis with 190.3 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 604 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Illinois ranked. There were ‘only’ 101 cities in Illinois where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 209 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 2024
/10
Population: 26,277
Murders: 50 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 190.3 (Most)
More on East St. Louis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 23,055
Murders: 16 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 69.4 (2nd Most)
More on Maywood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 6,711
Murders: 4 (26th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 59.6 (3rd Most)
More on Calumet Park: Data | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 12,289
Murders: 7 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 57.0 (4th Most)
More on Markham: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 11,971
Murders: 5 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 41.8 (5th Most)
More on Rantoul: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 8,317
Murders: 3 (36th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 36.1 (6th Most)
More on Glenwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 25,863
Murders: 8 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.9 (7th Most)
More on Kankakee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 13,025
Murders: 4 (26th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.7 (8th Most)
More on Riverdale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 36,235
Murders: 11 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.4 (9th Most)
More on Rock Island: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 13,738
Murders: 4 (26th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 29.1 (10th Most)
More on Cahokia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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 101 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 East St. Louis. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Illinois. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Illinois For 2024
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 East St. Louis, Maywood, Calumet Park, Markham, Rantoul, Glenwood, Kankakee, Riverdale, Rock Island, and Cahokia.
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 | East St. Louis, IL | 26277 | 50 | 190.28 |
| 2 | Maywood, IL | 23055 | 16 | 69.4 |
| 3 | Calumet Park, IL | 6711 | 4 | 59.6 |
| 4 | Markham, IL | 12289 | 7 | 56.96 |
| 5 | Rantoul, IL | 11971 | 5 | 41.77 |
| 6 | Glenwood, IL | 8317 | 3 | 36.07 |
| 7 | Kankakee, IL | 25863 | 8 | 30.93 |
| 8 | Riverdale, IL | 13025 | 4 | 30.71 |
| 9 | Rock Island, IL | 36235 | 11 | 30.36 |
| 10 | Cahokia, IL | 13738 | 4 | 29.12 |
| 11 | University Park, IL | 7038 | 2 | 28.42 |
| 12 | Hazel Crest, IL | 12849 | 3 | 23.35 |
| 13 | Decatur, IL | 68789 | 16 | 23.26 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | 2652124 | 604 | 22.77 |
| 15 | Peoria, IL | 110551 | 24 | 21.71 |
| 16 | Urbana, IL | 41673 | 9 | 21.6 |
| 17 | Zion, IL | 24348 | 5 | 20.54 |
| 18 | Colona, IL | 5009 | 1 | 19.96 |
| 19 | East Moline, IL | 20573 | 4 | 19.44 |
| 20 | South Holland, IL | 20626 | 4 | 19.39 |
| 21 | Sauk Village, IL | 10319 | 2 | 19.38 |
| 22 | Park Forest, IL | 20896 | 4 | 19.14 |
| 23 | Worth, IL | 10507 | 2 | 19.03 |
| 24 | Chicago Heights, IL | 26393 | 5 | 18.94 |
| 25 | Carbondale, IL | 21612 | 4 | 18.51 |
| 26 | Posen, IL | 5844 | 1 | 17.11 |
| 27 | Pekin, IL | 31252 | 5 | 16.0 |
| 28 | North Riverside, IL | 6402 | 1 | 15.62 |
| 29 | Round Lake Beach, IL | 26928 | 4 | 14.85 |
| 30 | Danville, IL | 28480 | 4 | 14.04 |
| 31 | Calumet City, IL | 35779 | 5 | 13.97 |
| 32 | Inverness, IL | 7314 | 1 | 13.67 |
| 33 | Montgomery, IL | 22257 | 3 | 13.48 |
| 34 | West Dundee, IL | 7727 | 1 | 12.94 |
| 35 | Loves Park, IL | 23222 | 3 | 12.92 |
| 36 | South Beloit, IL | 7893 | 1 | 12.67 |
| 37 | Maryville, IL | 8194 | 1 | 12.2 |
| 38 | Monmouth, IL | 8652 | 1 | 11.56 |
| 39 | Olney, IL | 8681 | 1 | 11.52 |
| 40 | Rochelle, IL | 8998 | 1 | 11.11 |
| 41 | Rockford, IL | 146710 | 16 | 10.91 |
| 42 | Steger, IL | 9325 | 1 | 10.72 |
| 43 | Crestwood, IL | 10507 | 1 | 9.52 |
| 44 | Buffalo Grove, IL | 42468 | 4 | 9.42 |
| 45 | Blue Island, IL | 21577 | 2 | 9.27 |
| 46 | Roscoe, IL | 10815 | 1 | 9.25 |
| 47 | Bloomingdale, IL | 21746 | 2 | 9.2 |
| 48 | Summit, IL | 11123 | 1 | 8.99 |
| 49 | Troy, IL | 11260 | 1 | 8.88 |
| 50 | Schiller Park, IL | 11360 | 1 | 8.8 |
| 51 | Freeport, IL | 23411 | 2 | 8.54 |
| 52 | Waukegan, IL | 85739 | 7 | 8.16 |
| 53 | Champaign, IL | 89815 | 7 | 7.79 |
| 54 | Richton Park, IL | 13250 | 1 | 7.55 |
| 55 | West Chicago, IL | 26768 | 2 | 7.47 |
| 56 | Granite City, IL | 27273 | 2 | 7.33 |
| 57 | Chicago Ridge, IL | 13867 | 1 | 7.21 |
| 58 | Lindenhurst, IL | 14242 | 1 | 7.02 |
| 59 | Morris, IL | 14511 | 1 | 6.89 |
| 60 | Bolingbrook, IL | 73364 | 5 | 6.82 |
| 61 | Galesburg, IL | 29985 | 2 | 6.67 |
| 62 | Highland Park, IL | 30173 | 2 | 6.63 |
| 63 | Washington, IL | 15910 | 1 | 6.29 |
| 64 | Bridgeview, IL | 16056 | 1 | 6.23 |
| 65 | Springfield, IL | 112549 | 7 | 6.22 |
| 66 | Country Club Hills, IL | 16448 | 1 | 6.08 |
| 67 | Oak Park, IL | 52152 | 3 | 5.75 |
| 68 | Marion, IL | 17551 | 1 | 5.7 |
| 69 | Bellwood, IL | 17972 | 1 | 5.56 |
| 70 | Aurora, IL | 197709 | 11 | 5.56 |
| 71 | Homewood, IL | 18634 | 1 | 5.37 |
| 72 | Hanover Park, IL | 37350 | 2 | 5.35 |
| 73 | Streamwood, IL | 37923 | 2 | 5.27 |
| 74 | Bloomington, IL | 77166 | 4 | 5.18 |
| 75 | Matteson, IL | 19494 | 1 | 5.13 |
| 76 | Crest Hill, IL | 20197 | 1 | 4.95 |
| 77 | Belleville, IL | 41291 | 2 | 4.84 |
| 78 | Palatine, IL | 65078 | 3 | 4.61 |
| 79 | Roselle, IL | 22431 | 1 | 4.46 |
| 80 | Grayslake, IL | 24519 | 1 | 4.08 |
| 81 | Alton, IL | 25212 | 1 | 3.97 |
| 82 | Cicero, IL | 81492 | 3 | 3.68 |
| 83 | Lansing, IL | 27828 | 1 | 3.59 |
| 84 | Gurnee, IL | 30361 | 1 | 3.29 |
| 85 | O’Fallon, IL | 32250 | 1 | 3.1 |
| 86 | Glendale Heights, IL | 33539 | 1 | 2.98 |
| 87 | Carpentersville, IL | 37201 | 1 | 2.69 |
| 88 | Elgin, IL | 113205 | 3 | 2.65 |
| 89 | Wheeling, IL | 37790 | 1 | 2.65 |
| 90 | Evanston, IL | 76259 | 2 | 2.62 |
| 91 | Crystal Lake, IL | 39726 | 1 | 2.52 |
| 92 | DeKalb, IL | 40555 | 1 | 2.47 |
| 93 | Moline, IL | 42009 | 1 | 2.38 |
| 94 | Lombard, IL | 44392 | 1 | 2.25 |
| 95 | Plainfield, IL | 46004 | 1 | 2.17 |
| 96 | Downers Grove, IL | 49070 | 1 | 2.04 |
| 97 | Naperville, IL | 148929 | 3 | 2.01 |
| 98 | Tinley Park, IL | 53973 | 1 | 1.85 |
| 99 | Mount Prospect, IL | 54477 | 1 | 1.84 |
| 100 | Skokie, IL | 65185 | 1 | 1.53 |