12 Worst Neighborhoods in Chicago – Dangerous Places to Avoid, With Updated Statistics for 2025

When assessing the “worst” neighbourhoods in Chicago in 2025, one must proceed with nuance, precision, and a strong grounding in data. City-wide figures show progress – overall violent crime is down 21.6 % and homicides by 32.3 % compared with a year earlier, according to the official statistics.

Yet these gains mask sharp divergences across community areas. Some pockets remain persistently burdened by elevated rates of shootings, robberies, and aggravated assaults relative to the city average. Needless to say, Chicago remains one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.

For example, the Council of Criminal Justice reported that in June 2025, there were 1,554 aggravated assault incidents (57.1 per 100,000 residents) and 485 gun-assault reports (17.8 per 100,000) in Chicago as a whole.

In certain neighbourhoods, the violent-crime rate rises to multiples of that city’s average. The spatial concentration of risk means that simply stating “Chicago is safer” does not capture the lived realities in under-resourced areas where crime, poverty, and structural disinvestment overlap.

In this analysis, we will identify the Chicago community areas that stand out for their comparatively high incidence of violence, property crime, and socio-economic distress. We will examine the objective metrics such as crime rates per 1,000 residents, trend lines over the past year, and underlying conditions of concentrated disadvantage. Let’s get started.

Before we begin, we advise you check this video:

Now, let’s check the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago:

1. Washington Park (Most Dangerous Neighborhood in Chicago)
2. West Garfield Park
   
3. West Englewood
4. North Lawndale
5. Grand Crossing
6. East Garfield Park
7. Englewood
8. Riverdale
9. South Shore
10. Auburn Gresham
11. Austin
12. Chatham

12. Chatham

Chatham has a population of roughly 31,700 (2020 Census). Despite its long history as a stable middle-class African-American neighbourhood, recent crime metrics indicate that Chatham continues to face considerable public safety challenges relative to city and national averages.

Overall Crime Rate

• According to Areavibes, Chatham’s overall crime rate is reported as 424% higher than the national average.
• Another source (a Wikipedia table citing “Crime in Chicago” by community area) lists for Chatham: population 31,710 and “Per Capita” crime rate of 0.0690 (which translates to about 6.90 % or 6.9 incidents per person, though the table’s metric is not conventional) for a given year.
• CrimeGrade gave Chatham an “Overall Crime Grade” of D, indicating that crime is higher than the average US neighbourhood.

These metrics suggest that Chatham’s overall crime level is substantially above typical neighbourhoods nationwide. The “424% higher” figure is dramatic (implying more than four times the national average), and the community area ranking (D grade) substantiates that the area remains among the more challenged in Chicago in overall crime terms.

Violent Crime

CrimeGrade also reported that Chatham has a violent crime rate of 7.719 incidents per 1,000 residents per year.

• Breakdown: Assault ~ 4.391 per 1,000; Robbery ~ 2.353 per 1,000; Rape ~ 0.7584 per 1,000; Murder ~ 0.2163 per 1,000.
• AreaVibes reports that violent crimes in Chatham are 403% higher than the national average.

A rate of 7.719 per 1,000 translates to about 0.7719% of the population experiencing a violent crime incident in a year. That is high compared to many neighbourhoods. The ratio of robbery and assault suggests those are the dominant violent-crime subcategories in Chatham. The 403% higher figure underscores the relative severity.

Property Crime

• CrimeGrade assigns Chatham a Property Crime Grade of D+.
• While an explicit numeric property-crime rate (per 1,000) is not provided in the CrimeGrade summary I located, the overall evaluation (D+ grade) indicates that property crime is also significantly elevated relative to the national average.
• AreaVibes notes that Chatham crime rates are 424% higher than the national average, in general and violent crimes are 403% higher, whereas the property-crime figure is rolled in the overall metric of 424%.

The absence of a precise figure makes comparison harder, but the grade and relative statements mark property crime as a major concern alongside violent crime. The neighbour­hood’s high overall crime suggests property offences (burglary, theft, auto theft) contribute meaningfully to the risk burden.

Summary

11. Austin

Austin remains among Chicago’s higher-crime community areas by both violent and property-crime metrics. The neighborhood is described by FOX 32 Chicago as “one of the worst” in terms of crime in the city. It faces substantial structural challenges, including concentrated poverty and fewer local resources.

Violent Crime

• According to Crime Grade, the crime rate is at 5.464 incidents per 1,000 residents per year in Austin.

Here’s a breakdown of violent crime types:

Compared to U.S. neighborhood averages, this places Austin roughly in the 37th percentile for safety (i.e., more dangerous than ~63 % of neighborhoods).

Property Crime & Overall Crime

• According to Areavibes statistics, Austin’s crime rate (overall) is 113 % higher than the U.S. average.
• Violent crimes in Austin are said to be 173 % higher than the national average, according to the same source.
• Austin’s overall crime incidence at approximately 4,824 crimes in a population of ~96,557, is giving a per-capita rate of about 0.0500 (i.e., 50 per 1,000).
• Regarding property crime specifically, exact per-1,000-resident rates were not found in an easily comparable format in the publicly referenced sources for 2025; however, the data indicate that the property crime ranking of Austin is 25th among 77 Chicago community areas.

Bottom Line

• The violent crime rate of ~5.46 per 1,000 implies about 1 incident of violent crime for every ~183 residents annually in Austin.
• The overall crime figure of ~50 per 1,000 suggests that roughly 1 in 20 residents might experience some reportable crime each year in the community area.
• Property crime, while less specifically quantified here, remains elevated relative to city and national averages and significantly contributes to the overall crime burden.
• The statistical profile places Austin in the more challenged segment of Chicago’s community areas in terms of public safety.

10. Auburn Gresham

In Auburn Gresham, total incidents are at ~2,172 crimes for a population of 44,878, implying roughly 48.4 incidents per 1,000 residents.

Violent Crime

According to Crime Grade:

The violent-crime rate for Auburn Gresham is significantly higher than the U.S. national average (for comparison: national violent crime ~380 per 100,000 in recent years) and manifests elevated levels for each major category.

Property Crime

Data specific to property crime (burglary, theft, motor-vehicle theft) at the community area level for 2025 are less precisely reported for Auburn Gresham. However, some indicative figures:

According to the Niche:

• Burglary: ~1,044.9 per 100,000 residents.
• Theft: ~2,696.2 per 100,000 residents.
• Motor Vehicle Theft: ~586.8 per 100,000 residents.

These suggest that property-crime rates are elevated compared to national averages (for example, national burglary ~500.1 per 100,000; national theft ~2,042.8 per 100,000) in the Niche data.

9. South Shore

South Shore remains a community with significantly elevated crime metrics compared with broader city averages. While violent crime appears moderate relative to Chicago’s most extreme neighbourhoods, the property-crime burden is substantial and reflects underlying socio-economic stress.

These conditions place South Shore in a position of persistent risk rather than acute crisis, though the higher crime rates warrant attention in any comparative analysis of Chicago neighbourhoods in 2025.

Violent Crime

Crime Grade reports the violent crime rate in South Shore as 7.709 incidents per 1,000 residents annually

• Breakdown: Assault ~5.035 / 1,000; Robbery ~1.777 / 1,000; Rape ~0.7063 / 1,000; Murder ~0.1908 / 1,000
• Sirix Monitoring gives a much higher figure: violent crime ~14.3 incidents per 1,000 residents for South Shore, with property crime ~49.7 per 1,000.

The variability in the violent‐crime metric arises from differing datasets and definitions. Even at the lower bound (≈7.7 per 1,000), South Shore remains above many safer Chicago neighbourhoods. At the higher bound (~14.3), the level is substantially elevated. Either way, violent crime is a non-trivial component of risk in this area.

Property Crime

CrimeGrade also reports the property crime rate in South Shore at 20.70 incidents per 1,000 residents annually.

• Breakdown of property crimes: Theft ~14.52/1,000; Vehicle theft ~3.316/1,000; Burglary ~2.797/1,000; Arson ~0.0686/1,000.
• Sirix Monitoring places property crime significantly higher: for example 49.7 per 1,000 residents for South Shore (same source that gave violent crime as 14.3 per 1,000)

Even using the more conservative estimate (≈20.7/1,000), property crime in South Shore exceeds many national and local averages. The higher estimate (~49.7/1,000) would place the community in a category of very high property‐crime risk. The difference signals the need to verify definitions (which crimes are included, time period, resident vs visitor counts).

8. Riverdale

The Riverdale community area registers notably elevated rates of both violent and property crime when compared to national averages and broader regional benchmarks. These figures reflect concentrated risk rather than city-wide norms.

Overall Crime Rate

According to Neighborhood Scout:

Violent Crime

Neighborhood Scout also provided statistics regarding violent crime:

Property Crime

Property crime figures are somewhat different:

Riverdale presents a profile of high community risk: overall crime victimisation risk is above 1 in 50 per year, violent crime risk is meaningfully elevated, and property crime (especially motor vehicle theft) is notably above typical benchmarks. These figures point toward sustained structural challenges rather than short-term fluctuations.

7. Englewood

Englewood remains one of Chicago’s most challenged community areas in terms of public safety. Per recent available data, the rates of both violent crime and property crime are well above Chicago’s city-wide averages, and the economic and social burdens of crime in the area are substantial.

Overall Crime Rate

• According to Crime Grade, the overall crime rate in Englewood is approximately 67.16 incidents per 1,000 residents per year.
• This places Englewood in the 13th percentile for safety (i.e., safer than about 13% of U.S. neighbourhoods) in that dataset.
• With roughly 1 in 15 residents at risk of being a crime victim in a given year (based on the 1/13 figure), the overall level of criminal incident exposure is high.

Violent Crime

Crime Grade also provided numbers regarding violent crime:

• The violent crime rate of 10.33 per 1,000 is notably elevated when compared to many neighbourhoods; in context, the city average is significantly lower.
• The violence burden is driven primarily by assault and robbery.
• The concentration of violent crime suggests heightened risk for residents relative to safer neighbourhoods.

Property Crime

For Englewood, the data indicate that both violent crime and property crime rates significantly exceed typical urban neighbourhood levels. The overall crime exposure (67.16 per 1,000) places it among the higher-risk community areas in Chicago.

6. East Garfield Park

East Garfield Park (community area 27 on Chicago’s West Side) exhibits elevated crime levels relative to both city and national benchmarks. A cross-section of data indicates that residents face significantly higher risks of victimisation than in many other parts of Chicago.

Socio-economic indicators (for example, the median household income of approx US $23,067 in 2020, according to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning) suggest a context of concentrated disadvantage, which often correlates with higher crime burdens.

Overall Crime Rate

• According to CrimeGrade’s most recent profiling, East Garfield Park has an overall crime rate of 50.30 offences per 1,000 residents per year (≈ 5.0 %).
• This translates to a “victim chance” of roughly 1 in 20 (central areas) to 1 in 22 (north parts) for being the subject of some crime in a typical year.
• Broader comparative data for community areas show East Garfield Park had a homicide rate of ~85.42 per 100,000 in 2024 (18 homicides, population ~19,901).

Violent Crime

CrimeGrade also reports that the violent crime rate (assault + robbery + rape + murder) for East Garfield Park is 7.539 per 1,000 residents per year.

• Breakdown: Assault ~3.883/1,000; Robbery ~2.769/1,000; Rape ~0.7203/1,000; Murder ~0.1662/1,000. CrimeGrade.org

In plain terms, the chance of being the victim of some violent crime in a given year is roughly 1 in 133 (~1/7.5 per thousand) within the neighbourhood.

Other summaries, such as the one from Shuman Legal, note that violent crimes here are “338 % higher than the national average” and overall crime is ~266 % higher.

Property Crime

For property crime (theft, vehicle theft, burglary, arson) CrimeGrade lists a rate of 24.18 per 1,000 residents per year.

• Sub-components: Theft ~17.18/1,000; Vehicle Theft ~3.992/1,000; Burglary ~2.938/1,000; Arson ~0.0659/1,000.

Roughly 1 in 40 residents may expect to be the subject of a property offence in an average year in this community area.

Compared to many neighbourhoods in the city this is elevated; for example the property crime rate here is slightly higher than the Chicago average as cited in one source (~24.83 per 1,000).

Summary

5. Grand Crossing

Greater Grand Crossing registers among the higher-crime community areas on Chicago’s South Side. For example, one source lists the overall crime rate at approximately 66.73 per 1,000 residents. The convergence of elevated violent-crime incidence, property-crime burden, and underlying socio-economic disadvantage makes its situation distinct in 2025.

Violent Crime

Even taking the more conservative number (~51.9), the rate is multiple times the national urban average for violent crime; the higher value (~66.7) further underscores the neighbourhood’s elevated risk profile.

Property Crime

According to Crime Grade:

• A rate of approximately 30.85 per 1,000 places Grand Crossing significantly above safer-neighborhood benchmarks and in the lower percentile for safety (the 27th percentile for property-crime safety).Theft (23.08 per 1,000) makes up the majority of property-crime incidents.
• Vehicle theft and burglary, while lower in absolute numbers, are still notable relative to typical urban averages.

4. North Lawndale

North Lawndale remains among Chicago’s community areas with elevated rates of both violent and property crime. Data indicate that residents face a significantly higher risk of victimisation compared with national averages. The figures reflect persistent socio-economic strain, though local interventions (e.g., violence-prevention programmes) are underway.

Overall Crime Rate

According to a dataset summarised on Wikipedia (via the Chicago Police Department/Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning), North Lawndale had approximately 0.0712 overall crimes per person (i.e., ~71.2 incidents per 1,000 residents) in 2020.

Because that figure is dated and does not break out violent vs property clearly, treat it as indicative rather than definitive.

Violent Crime

CrimeGrade reports that North Lawndale has a violent crime rate of 7.805 crimes per 1,000 residents per year (i.e., about 0.7805 %).

• According to AreaVibes, violent crime in North Lawndale is “337 % higher than the national average”. areavibes.com
• Here are some stats coming from Niche: Assault 1,681.5 per 100,000 (i.e., 16.815 per 1,000), Murder 80.4 per 100,000 (0.804 per 1,000), Robbery 1,147 per 100,000 (11.47 per 1,000).

Note: This suggests higher rates than CrimeGrade’s figure; methodology differences likely account for the variation.

3. West Englewood

In a “typical year,” West Englewood residents face a combined crime exposure of roughly 54 incidents per 1,000 residents when you add violent, property, and “other” offenses together.

According to Crime Grade statistics:

West Englewood is dealing with well over 5,000 reported or projected offenses per 100,000 residents annually, with a sizable share driven by non-trivial violent incidents.

Violent Crime

Crime Grade also provided statistics regarding violent crime:

• Assault: 4.32 per 1,000 residents
• Robbery: 2.60 per 1,000
• Rape: 0.65 per 1,000
• Murder: 0.22 per 1,000

That aggregates to:

Total violent crime rate: 7.80 per 1,000 residents (grade: D)

In 2023, West Englewood recorded 30 fatal shooting deaths, behind only a handful of other neighborhoods like Austin and Chatham, according to The Trace reports.

Together, those two data points make it clear that West Englewood is not only above the citywide norm on raw violent-crime exposure, it is also dealing with disproportionately lethal gun violence.

Property Crime

Property crime in West Englewood is a lower profile than the gun violence story, but still materially above what an average U.S. neighborhood would expect.

CrimeGrade’s property-crime statistics show the following:

• Theft: 20.57 per 1,000 residents
• Vehicle theft: 3.70 per 1,000
• Burglary: 3.89 per 1,000
• Arson: 0.10 per 1,000

Which rolls up as:

Total property crime rate: 28.25 per 1,000 residents (grade: C-)

Property crime in West Englewood runs at around 28 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, driven largely by theft and vehicle theft, with burglary layered on top.

That positions this neighborhood as meaningfully riskier on property crime than the average Illinois or U.S. neighborhood, even though its property-crime profile is not as extreme as its gun-violence profile.

2. West Garfield Park – Epicenter of Gang Activity and High Crime Rates

The West Garfield Park community area on Chicago’s West Side presents one of the most acute crime challenges among the city’s 77 community areas.

Recent reporting highlights that while some downward trends in violent and property crime have been recorded, the baseline levels remain markedly elevated, underscoring persistent structural issues.

Violent Crime

Violent crime in West Garfield Park remains significantly above Chicago’s city-wide average. Key datapoints:

• The community area recorded 28 homicides in 2022 among approximately 17,433 residents, yielding a homicide rate around 160.6 per 100,000.
• According to the ABC7 Chicago report on the 11th Police District (which covers parts of West Garfield Park), in the past 12 months, there were 2,100 violent crimes in the district, which remains among the highest per-capita in the city.

These figures place West Garfield Park among Chicago’s highest-risk community areas for violent offenses.

Property Crime

While detailed per-1,000 resident property crime data specific to West Garfield Park is scarce in publicly cited sources, several qualitative indicators are clear:

• News analysis says property crime in the 11th District (including West Garfield Park) remains “very high” despite recent declines.
• Historical commentary reports that theft, burglary and vehicle theft form a significant component of the neighborhood’s crime burden.

1. Washington Park – Most Dangerous Neighborhood in Chicago

Washington Park continues to rank among Chicago’s community areas with elevated crime indicators. The safety in this neighborhood is really low, as the following stats continuously prove:

Overall Crime Rate

Washington Park had 10 homicides in 2024, for a population of ~12,366, yielding a homicide rate of ≈ 80.87 per 100,000 residents.

• The crime per capita figure stands at 31.48 (likely per 1,000 residents) for Washington Park in 2020 for index crimes.
• If taken as 31.48 per 1,000 ≈ 3.148% of the population → ~3,148 incidents per 100,000 residents.
• Because overall crime (violent + property) is not consistently published at this community-area level by the official city portal, the above figures are proxies rather than definitive “overall crime rate” values.

Violent Crime

Analysis provided by CrimeGrade estimates a violent-crime rate of 9.053 incidents per 1,000 residents (≈ 905 per 100,000) for Washington Park in a “typical year”.

Here’s a breakdown of the 9.053 per 1,000:

• Assault: 5.723 per 1,000
• Robbery: 2.423 per 1,000
• Rape/Sexual assault: 0.734 per 1,000
• Murder: 0.1743 per 1,000 (≈ 17.43 per 100,000)

These figures show Washington Park’s violent-crime rate well above many US neighbourhood averages (where typical violent crime might be 3-5 per 1,000).

Summary Table

Bottom Line

• The homicide rate in Washington Park (~80.87 per 100,000) is substantially higher than the Chicago city-wide homicide rate (~21-25 per 100,000 in recent years) and far above national averages.
• The violent crime estimate from CrimeGrade (~905 per 100,000) highlights elevated risk, though variations in methodology (annual vs “typical” year, what counts as violent crime) imply caution.
• Because property-crime data for the community area are not readily found in public official breakdowns, conclusions about “property crime burden” must be qualified.
• These data reinforce that Washington Park is among the higher-crime community areas in Chicago.

How We Ranked These Neighborhoods

We started with official and high authority crime data sources for Chicago, focusing on the most recent available years (2020 to 2025), so that every number in the article reflects current conditions rather than outdated trends.

We used city-level and national benchmarks first, drawing on:

• Chicago Police Department and City of Chicago crime reports where per community area data exists.
• National crime baselines such as typical U.S. violent and property crime rates per 100,000 residents.

This gave us a reference frame to compare each neighborhood’s risk instead of quoting raw numbers in isolation.

We identified a shortlist of key crime data aggregators and analytics platforms that specialise in neighborhood statistics, primarily:

• CrimeGrade
• AreaVibes
• NeighborhoodScout
• Niche
• Sirix Monitoring

We used them because they provide standardized per 1,000 or per 100,000 resident rates and clear category breakdowns (violent, property, sub types).

We cross-checked crime rates for each community area across at least two independent sources whenever possible. For example, if CrimeGrade gave a violent crime rate per 1,000 residents and another platform gave per 100,000, we converted units, compared values, and only used numbers that aligned within a plausible range.

We treated any Wikipedia-based tables strictly as secondary references. When such tables appeared, we traced their citations back to original sources such as the Chicago Police Department or planning agency datasets and used those primary or officially derived figures instead of relying on Wikipedia as an authority.

We explicitly avoided marketing-oriented or low-quality sources, such as:

• Consumer gadget and home security blogs that show “crime maps” mainly to sell products.
• Thin directory-style websites with no clear methodology.
  If a site did not disclose data sources, time period, or methodology, we did not use its numbers.

For each neighborhood, we broke the research into three distinct categories:

• Overall crime burden relative to the national average.
• Violent crime (with sub-categories like assault, robbery, rape, murder).
• Property crime (theft, burglary, vehicle theft, arson).
• We then searched for specific statistics in each bucket and only included figures that could be clearly attributed and interpreted.

When a source provided only a letter grade (for example, “D” or “C minus”) rather than raw numbers, we used that grade strictly as a qualitative indicator and paired it with numeric rates from other datasets so that readers could see both the relative ranking and the approximate frequency per 1,000 residents.

When we encountered discrepancies between sources, we documented the range rather than forcing a single “perfect” number.

• Example: South Shore’s violent crime rate appears as ~7.7 per 1,000 in one dataset and ~14.3 per 1,000 in another.

In such cases, we clearly stated both figures, noted the methodological differences, and explained that the true value likely sits within that band.

We standardised all crime rates to common units for easier comparison:

• Converting per 100,000 figures to per 1,000 where appropriate.
• Converting per person “per capita” numbers to per 1,000 residents.
• Translating percentages and ratios into intuitive statements, such as “roughly 1 in 20 residents” or “about 0.7 percent of the population per year”.

We checked for internal consistency within each dataset. For instance:

• Ensuring that the sum of violent crime subcategories matched the quoted total violent crime rate within normal rounding differences.
• Verifying that overall crime per 1,000 was compatible with the stated number of incidents and population size.

We anchored neighborhood-level figures against city-level indicators. For example:

• Comparing a neighborhood’s homicide rate per 100,000 residents with the overall Chicago homicide rate in recent years.
• Highlighting where neighborhood crime sits multiple times above national or city averages to avoid exaggeration or understatement.

We incorporated corroborating information from reputable media and research outlets when they aligned with quantitative data. For example:

• Local TV or newspaper coverage referencing the 11th Police District’s violent crime volume.
• Independent reports like The Trace, when they provided specific counts of fatal shootings by neighborhood.
  We used such sources only when they matched the direction and magnitude of the underlying statistics.

We treated socio-economic indicators as context rather than as causal explanations. Where we referenced factors like median household income or concentrated poverty, we relied on planning or metropolitan agency data and used them to frame the structural environment while keeping the crime figures themselves grounded in police or crime analytic datasets.

We avoided cherry-picking sensational statistics. If multiple credible sources offered different but plausible figures for the same metric, we preferred:

• The most recent year with clear methodology.
• Or a conservative estimate when one value looked like an outlier without an adequate explanation.

We consistently documented the origin of each key number in our notes before writing. For every statistic that appears in the article, we kept a traceable reference to its source, time period, and original unit so it can be rechecked or updated as new data is released.

We applied the same process to every neighborhood on the list, so rankings are based on a comparable mix of:

• Per capita crime rates.
• Severity of violent crime.
• Property crime burden.
• Supporting contextual evidence from reliable research and reporting.

@lucky_chucky The 20 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Chicago #fyp #chicago #top20 #mostdangerous #neighborhoods #illinois #tiktok ♬ original sound – Charles Hojnacki

Final Thoughts

Chicago’s dangerous neighborhoods highlight the city’s stark contrasts. While some areas are vibrant and thriving, others are struggling with high crime rates and economic hardships.

Awareness and caution are key if you find yourself in or near any of these neighborhoods. And remember, community efforts are making a difference, one small step at a time.

References for this article:

• AreaVibes – Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Chicago, IL
• NeighborhoodScout – Chicago Crime Rates and Statistics
• CrimeGrade – The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Chicago, IL
• Niche – Washington Park Crime
• Davidsonian – Chicago’s Crime Landscape: Unveiling the Most Dangerous Neighborhoods and Safe Havens
• City of Chicago – North Lawndale map and crime stats
• Property Club – Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Chicago
• Suburbs101 – Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Chicago (2024)

Also check this amazing Youtube video:  Chicago – Inside The Most DANGEROUS City in America: Gangs & Crime