Chicago

Is Chicago safe?

For a visitor, mostly yes. Chicago's reputation comes from violence that is real but tightly concentrated. The police counted 416 murders in 2025, down from 587 in 2024 and the fewest since 1965. That is still about 15 per 100,000 people, roughly four times New York. But the killings cluster in a few South and West Side districts with no hotels or sights, and the areas most visitors use (the Loop, River North, the lakefront and the North Side) have far less violent crime.

The realistic risks for a tourist are a snatched phone, a tense late-night train ride and the weather. We score Chicago 66, just above Los Angeles and well below Canadian cities such as Toronto.

How much has crime fallen?

The drop is large. Shooting victims fell from 2,797 in 2024 to 1,847 in 2025, and robberies fell 36%, according to Chicago police figures reported by CBS. The city's own data portal shows 5,815 robberies in 2025 against 9,120 a year earlier. Murders were above 800 in 2021, so the city has roughly halved its killings in four years.

The 2026 numbers have held at about that level. The city's victims dataset shows 328 homicide victims from January to early October 2026, against 332 in the same period of 2025.

Where visitors run into trouble

Theft is the crime you are most likely to meet. City data list 55,200 thefts in 2025, including 1,191 pickpocketings and 5,930 thefts from cars. Patterns worth knowing:

• Phones on the L. Thieves grab phones from riders near the doors and step off as the doors close. Keep your phone away while the train sits in a station.
• Michigan Avenue and State Street. Large groups of teenagers sometimes gather downtown on warm weekend evenings, and the city has a curfew for minors. Fights and thefts have happened around these gatherings; walk away if a crowd forms.
• Parked cars. Leave nothing visible, especially in Wicker Park, Logan Square and near Wrigley Field on game days.

Fraud and car theft (17,258 vehicles stolen in 2025) matter more to residents than to short-stay visitors.

Is the L safe at night?

By day it is the easiest way around, including the Blue Line from O'Hare and the Orange Line from Midway. At night it is less pleasant. Police data reported by the Chicago Tribune show violent crime on the CTA fell about 5% in 2025, but it stayed above pre-pandemic levels, and the Sun-Times reported that aggravated assaults and batteries on the system were at their highest in at least 24 years. The CTA added security guards and police patrols in 2026, and agency figures show falling crime on the Red Line since then.

After about 11 pm, ride in the first car, where the operator is, or take a ride app. Busy nightlife areas such as River North, the West Loop, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park and Lakeview are fine to walk in the evening. The Loop gets very quiet once offices close.

Streets, air and weather

Traffic is a smaller danger than in most US cities. CPD crash data record 93 deaths on city streets in 2025, down from 123 in 2024, about 3.4 per 100,000. A third were pedestrians. These figures leave out expressway crashes handled by Illinois State Police, so the full number is higher. Watch for turning cars at downtown intersections, and if you rent a Divvy bike, stick to the Lakefront Trail and protected lanes.

Air is cleaner than in Los Angeles. City monitors averaged 8.7 to 9.5 µg/m³ of fine particlesPM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary over 2023 to 2025, under the US limit but above the WHO guideline. Wildfire smoke from Canada has caused bad-air days in recent summers. Tap water from Lake Michigan is safe to drink.

The weather is the hazard locals plan around. Summer heat waves can be deadly, especially for older people without air conditioning; the 1995 heat wave killed hundreds. January cold can drop below -20 °C with wind chill, and heavy thunderstorms flood streets and basements. On the lake, swim only at guarded beaches, as waves and currents build quickly.

How to stay safe in Chicago

• Stay in River North, the Loop, the West Loop, Streeterville, Lincoln Park or Lakeview.
• Visit the South Side's sights (Hyde Park, the Museum of Science and Industry, Bronzeville, Chinatown) by day as you would anywhere; skip areas with no reason to visit.
• Keep your phone in a front pocket on trains and when standing at crossings.
• In winter, dress for wind chill, not the forecast temperature.
• Carry travel insurance; an emergency room visit can cost thousands of dollars.

For country-wide advice on guns, healthcare costs and entry rules, read our United States page.

How we scored it

Violent crime (52) is the weakest factor: even after a 30% drop, the murder rate is far above other big cities we score. Health and environment (82) and traffic safety (76) are the strongest. Theft (62) and night safety (62) reflect phone snatching and late-night trains rather than danger in the areas tourists use.