Unveiling Illinois’ Risky Zones: The 25 Most Dangerous Towns Revealed

Using data from the FBI’s Crime in the United States, I was able to determine which 25 Illinois municipalities were the most violent.

You won’t be surprised by some of the cities on the list. Naturally, the likelihood of violent crime increases with city size.

Conversely, a few smaller cities also appeared to have a problem with crime, despite their smaller populations.

A few other aspects were noteworthy, such as the inclusion of numerous towns that are mostly recognized for their colleges and institutions, which occasionally account for a sizable portion of the population.

Check this out if you were curious about the precise definition of a “violent crime.”

According to US Legal:

“The definition of violent crime suggests that violence is a behavior by persons, against persons or property that intentionally threatens, attempts, or actually inflicts physical harm.”

Here is the list of the top 25 most dangerous towns in Illinois:

25. Mount Vernon

14,802 people live in Mount Vernon. 214 violent crimes were reported.

24. Moline

Population size: 41,701. Violent crimes were reported in 219.

23. Elgin

In Elgin, there were 223 violent crimes. 112,112 people are in the population.

22. Belleville

There were 227 recorded violent crimes in Belleville, a city of 40,930 people.

21. Chicago Heights

There were 228 recorded violent crimes for a population of 29,471.

20. Granite City

There were 233 violent crimes recorded out of 28,315 total people.

19. Kankakee

Kankakee is home to 25,782 people, and 236 violent offenses were recorded there.

18. Quincy

The population of Quincy is 39,954. 243 violent crimes were reported.

17. Dekalb

In DeKalb, 253 violent offenses were recorded. 42,428 people live there.

16. Matteson

In Matteson, there are 19,517 residents and 253 incidents of violent crimes.

15. Cicero

In Cicero, there have been 258 complaints of violent crimes. 81,270 people live there.

14. East St. Louis

There are 268 violent crime reports in East St. Louis. 26,277 people call the area home.

13. Alton

In Alton, there are 26,360 residents. 268 violent crime reports have been made.

12. Waukegan

Waukegan has 86,505 residents and 331 incidents of violent crimes.

11. Decatur

Decatur is home to 70,710 people, and 375 violent offenses were recorded there.

10. Bloomington

There are 78,107 people living in Bloomington. 387 violent crimes have been reported.

9. Aurora

In Aurora, there are 199,784 residents. There were 516 violent crimes recorded.

8. Danville

There were 536 violent offenses recorded in Danville, which has 30,642 residents.

7. Sauk Village

Despite having a population of 10,319, Sauk Village had 566 complaints of violent crime.

6. Joliet

Joliet is home to 148,155 people. In addition, 751 reports of violent crimes have been made.

5. Champaign

Champaign is home to 88,891 people, and 827 violent crime complaints have been made.

4. Springfield

In Springfield, 889 violent offenses were reported. 114,393 people call the area home.

3. Peoria

Living in Peoria are 110,955 people. There are 1,158 violent crime reports.

2. Rockford

While there are 1,711 recorded violent crimes per year in Rockford, the population is 145,719.

1. Chicago

There are 2,707,064 residents in Chicago. 25,532 incidents of violent crime were reported.

What is a violent crime?

According to the concept of violent crime, violence is defined as any intentional threat, attempt, or real bodily injury inflicted by people or property against other people or property. The severity of the crime will depend on a number of factors, including the extent of the victim’s injuries, the use of guns or other weapons, and the criminal history of the alleged offender.

Violent crimes committed against people and their property are frequently motivated by hatred, or at the very least, by a flagrant disdain for the dignity and rights of another person. This can also influence the jury’s or judge’s assessment of the crime’s seriousness.

Aggravated assault, arson, assault and battery, hate crimes, domestic abuse, homicide, manslaughter, mayhem, murder, terrorism, and theft/larceny are the most frequent violent crimes.

Homicides are the most serious type of violent crime since they cause the death of another person. Homicide can be prosecuted as either a careless killing, like involuntary manslaughter, or an intentional killing, like murder or manslaughter.

The most serious homicides, murder and manslaughter, carry sentences of life in prison or even death. Long prison terms are also possible for involuntary manslaughter, a crime in which there is no intent to kill or cause great bodily injury.

Here are two of the more well-known violent crime locations committed in Illinois.

John Wayne Gacy House
John Wayne Gacy, often known as the Killer Clown, attacked and killed at least 33 youths and young men. The serial killer and sexual offender gained his sinister moniker by frequently appearing as a clown at charity events and children’s hospitals in Cook County, a region of metropolitan Chicago. He was found guilty of 33 murders in a single trial, which at the time was a record for any individual in American history.

Amityville Horror House
Ronald DeFeo used a powerful gun to kill his mother, father, two brothers, and two sisters on November 13, 1974, at their Long Island home. Two years later, the new owners, George and Kathleen Lutz, started circulating a rumor that they had been scared out of their recently acquired home by ghosts and demonic spirits. Based on their apparent hoax, a book went on to become a number one bestseller, and the movie that followed was a box office hit.