Crime in Chicago, IL

Annual rates: reported incidents over the last 12 months per 100,000 residents (population 2,746,388, U.S. Census). Violent crime counts homicide, assault and battery. Property crime counts theft, burglary, robbery, vehicle theft and property damage. How we count

The figures above come from Chicago Police Department’s own data, which counts every assault and battery it records. The national ranking counts only what each department reports to the FBI, which leaves simple assault out. On that measure Chicago shows392 per 100,000 instead of 2,320.

There is a second reason for the gap, and it matters more: this department reports to the FBI about half of what it records. Its own data is the complete one, so that is what this page shows, while the ranking keeps every city on the FBI’s single measure. See the ranking · How we count

SaferHigher rateViolent crimes per 100,000 residents per year, last 12 months. Click an area for details.

Community areas are the city’s official 77 statistical neighborhoods. Population from the 2020 Census. Small areas swing more from month to month, so rates use the last 12 months.

Categories follow the offense names used by Chicago Police Department, grouped into the FBI’s violent and property families. Red means more than before, green means fewer. “Not yet” means the site does not have that month from a year earlier.

Each city reports on its own schedule, so the months differ. Offense definitions also vary slightly between departments. Full rankings

Is Chicago safe?

Chicago Police Department recorded 2,320 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to August 2026, −4% versus the previous 12 months. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood: Forest Glen runs 417 per 100,000 and Fuller Park 9,296.

What is the crime rate in Chicago?

2,320 violent and 4,121 property crimes per 100,000 residents per year, based on 188,356 incidents reported to Chicago Police Department over the 12 months to August 2026. In August 2026 alone, 17,031 incidents were reported.

Is crime in Chicago going up or down?

It is going down: violent crime −4% and property crime −5% over the last 12 months compared with the 12 months before.

Where does the data come from?

From Chicago Police Department, via City of Chicago Data Portal (dataset ijzp-q8t2). We count reported incidents by month and offense type and divide by the Census population. Reported crime undercounts actual crime; see the methodology page for what the numbers leave out.

• Violent crime in Chicago is down 4% over the last 12 months compared with the 12 months before. Property crime is −5% over the same period.
• Among the 209 cities on this site, Chicago has the 113th-highest violent crime rate. Inside the city the range is enormous: Fuller Park runs 9,296 per 100,000 and Forest Glen 417, so the citywide number says little about any one neighborhood.
• These are crimes reported to Chicago Police Department, not all crimes that happened. Single-month swings of a few percent are normal; the twelve-month comparison is the better signal.