Violent crime
2,332 per 100,000 residents, per year
780 reported in the last 12 months
+1% vs. Chicago (2,320)
Data through August 2026. Source: Chicago Police Department
Crime in Lower West Side, Chicago
The violent crime rate in Lower West Side is 2,332 per 100,000 residents per year, about the same as Chicago as a whole (2,320). It ranks 34 of 77 community areas, where 1 is the highest rate.
The numbers
12 months to Aug 2026Property crime
4,270 per 100,000 residents, per year
1,428 reported in the last 12 months
+4% vs. Chicago (4,121)
All reported
6,865 per 100,000 residents, per year
2,296 reported in the last 12 months
no change vs. Chicago (6,858)
Rates use the 2020 Census population of 33,446 for Lower West Side. Small areas swing more month to month, so all rates here use a 12-month window ending August 2026.
Where Lower West Side sits in Chicago, and where incidents concentrate
rank 34 of 77Loading map…
1the block with the most violent incidents10the tenthCounted over the last 12 months. Point at a mark, or at a row in the table below, to see which street it is.
SaferHigher rateArea shading: violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year, so you can see how this neighbourhood compares with the ones around it.
Lower West Side is in the middle of the city’s range: rank 34 of 77. Nearby in the ranking: Chicago Lawn (2,713), Morgan Park (2,491), Hegewisch (2,196), O'Hare (2,188).
Blocks with the most violent incidents
12 months to Aug 2026| Block | Violent | Property | Share of area’s violent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01022XX S Halsted St | 74 | 29 | 9% |
| 02018XX S Blue Island Ave | 30 | 13 | 4% |
| 03011XX W 18th St | 23 | 16 | 3% |
| 04016XX S Blue Island Ave | 19 | 10 | 2% |
| 05025XX W Cermak Rd | 16 | 47 | 2% |
| 06018XX S Loomis St | 14 | 11 | 2% |
| 07023XX S Halsted St | 14 | 10 | 2% |
| 08018XX S Ashland Ave | 12 | 8 | 2% |
| 09020XX S Blue Island Ave | 11 | 2 | 1% |
| 10017XX W 18th St | 10 | 35 | 1% |
“Block” is the hundred-block as the police department publishes it (for example 51XX W Madison St), never an exact address. Only blocks with 5 or more violent incidents in the window are listed; the top 10 account for 29% of Lower West Side’s violent incidents. These are the numbered marks on the map above; hover a row to find it.
Violent crime, month by month
Sep 2025 to Aug 2026| Month | Violent crimes in Lower West Side |
|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 69 |
| Oct 2025 | 88 |
| Nov 2025 | 65 |
| Dec 2025 | 51 |
| Jan 2026 | 58 |
| Feb 2026 | 62 |
| Mar 2026 | 56 |
| Apr 2026 | 65 |
| May 2026 | 66 |
| Jun 2026 | 60 |
| Jul 2026 | 65 |
| Aug 2026 | 75 |
Reported crime by type
last 12 months| Offense | Reported | Per 100k, per year | vs. Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assault and batteryViolent | 775 | 2,317 | +1% |
| HomicideViolent | 5 | 15 | −6% |
| Theft, burglary and robberyProperty | 911 | 2,724 | +8% |
| Property damage and arsonProperty | 289 | 864 | −8% |
| Vehicle theftProperty | 228 | 682 | +3% |
| Weapons offensesOther | 65 | 194 | +7% |
| Drug offensesOther | 23 | 69 | −71% |
Source and dates
ijzp-q8t2- Source
- Chicago Police Department, via City of Chicago Data Portal (dataset ijzp-q8t2), aggregated by community area
- Window
- September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months)
- Population
- 33,446 residents, 2020 Census
- City page
- Crime in Chicago, IL