The property-crime gap is the wider one: 78% above the national rate versus 42% for violent crime, so the risk a buyer meets most often is theft, not violence. Both sit inside a 7th-percentile ranking against 13,216 graded jurisdictions, and violent crime fell 11.0% in 2024, which SafeNest classifies as improving. Schools carry the same split. The 4.4/10 average across 651 rated schools sits below the midpoint, middle schools weakest at 3.7/10, yet Edison Elem Regional Gifted Cntr scores 10.0/10. A city where one school rates 10 and the average rates 4.4 is a city decided by catchment, not by city line. The same holds for hazard: 19 Illinois flood declarations since 1957 describe a state, not a parcel. Every figure here is an average; the address you are considering is not the average.
Crime in Chicago vs. the national average
Chicago reports 540 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 42% above the U.S. average of 381, and 3,472 property crimes per 100k versus a national 1,954 (78% above). In the most recent FBI reporting year (2024), the violent crime rate fell 11.0% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as improving.
| Chicago | US average | |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (per 100k) | 540 | 381 |
| Property crime (per 100k) | 3472 | 1954 |
City-wide averages hide block-by-block variation — the safest and least safe neighborhoods in Chicago can differ dramatically. For a specific address, a SafeNest report covers it directly — or search free in the iPhone app.
Flood & natural hazard risk
Federal disaster records for Illinois — the state SafeNest uses for Chicago's flood context — list 19 FEMA flood disaster declarations between 1957 and 2024, most recently "Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Floodng". Illinois has also seen 1 hurricane or tropical-storm declaration, events that frequently drive flooding. These are state-level federal declarations, not a parcel-level flood-zone determination — a specific Chicago address may sit inside or well outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine; check FEMA's flood maps and flood-insurance requirements for that address.
Schools in Chicago
Public schools in Chicago average 4.4/10 on the SafeNest School Score across 651 rated schools. By level, high schools rate strongest at 4.6/10 on average, while middle schools average 3.7/10. The highest-scoring is Edison Elem Regional Gifted Cntr at 10.0/10.
Registered offenders
Registered-offender data is meaningful only at the address level, so SafeNest does not publish a city-wide figure for Chicago: a single citywide number would blend blocks with very different profiles and mislead more than it informs. Registered offender counts by distance band for any specific Chicago address are included in a SafeNest report, drawn directly from the state's public registry. The iPhone app shows that count free for any address, and maps each registrant with Premium.
Check a specific Chicago address
City averages are a starting point. A SafeNest report covers one specific address — crime, registered offender counts, flood and disaster history, schools, air quality, taxes — delivered by email as a PDF for $6.99.
Or search any Chicago address free in the iPhone app.
Common questions about safety in Chicago
Is Chicago, IL safe?
Chicago records 540 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 42% above the US national average of 381. Overall SafeNest grade: D, a city-wide average of reported crime. It does not describe a specific street or address.
What is the crime rate in Chicago?
Chicago reports approximately 540 violent crimes and 3472 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, the most recent FBI reporting year in our data.
Does Chicago have flood risk?
SafeNest reports federal disaster declaration history for the area. For Chicago, federal records show 19 FEMA flood disaster declarations for Illinois, most recently in 2024; a specific address may still sit inside or outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine — check FEMA's flood maps for that address.
How this page was built
Every figure here comes from the same public records behind SafeNest's grading. We published the full method and what it does and doesn't support in We graded 13,216 American cities with FBI data — including where a letter grade means almost nothing. City comparisons: safest cities in Illinois.
Other city safety reports
Data compiled from public sources including FBI crime statistics, FEMA disaster declarations and the FEMA National Risk Index, NCES education data, and state registries. Last updated 2026-08-17. Figures are city-level estimates; verify with primary sources before making decisions. SafeNest is not a consumer reporting agency (see Terms).