For your next stay in Illinois, you are wondering which neighborhoods in Chicago to avoid, the most dangerous and the best to stay in. Indeed, when you are going to stay in Chicago, it is prudent to find out in advance before choosing the neighborhood where you are going to stay.
Indeed, Chicago is a city rich in history, heritage and culture but it is one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. So, if you decide to go there for a business trip or to discover all its tourist attractions, here is a guide with a map of the main neighborhoods of Chicago.
The information in this article has been taken from various economic media, local press, rankings and statistics. It is therefore a simple summary of data that does not involve any judgment or discrimination.
Here is the guide with the map of the main neighborhoods of Chicago that will help you identify the best areas to stay and especially avoid the most dangerous neighborhoods.
Chicago safe city?
NO, according to statistics, Chicago is one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. According to Wikipedia, Chicago's overall crime rate, especially for violent crime, is higher than the US city average.
In addition, the level of crime in Chicago has continued to increase for several years. See the articles « Chicago crime rate 2021: the year ends as the deadliest in a quarter of a century "Or the BBC:" US crime: Is America seeing a surge in violence?«
To check it for yourself, you can study the official figures on the Chicago Police Statistics Site.
Is Chicago dangerous in 2024?
Yes, Chicago is considered a dangerous city in 2024. This is what the latest shows Numbeo ranking of the most criminal cities from America. Chicago is ranked 5th most criminal city of the 31 largest cities in the United States.
With its very high crime index, in 2024 Chicago is more dangerous than San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington ou New Orleans.
See map of the Numbeo.com site:
Au world level, Chicago is also one of the most dangerous cities in the world. But still remains much less criminal than Mexico City, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro ou Lima.
Chicago dangerous for tourists?
No but on condition that tourists are careful.
Indeed, by avoiding the districts presented below, the tourist sites of Chicago are not dangerous for the visitors. This is because violent crime does not target tourists. Much of Chicago's crime is linked to gang wars, settling of scores and drug trafficking.
However, tourists can be victims of petty crimes (pickpockets, scams, snatching, theft of phones, jewelry, etc.).
Chicago neighborhood map
To get your bearings better, you should know that the city is divided by the Chicago River (Chicago River) and the canal (Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal). We can consider that there are 4 main areas:
- North Side (historic districts, skyscrapers and upscale districts including the Gold Coast Historic District with its luxury buildings),
- Downtown Chicago or Central Chicago (city center + business district) which includes Near North Side, Loop and Near South Side,
- West Side (many neighborhoods, some of which are sensitive such as East Garfield Park and Lawndale),
- South side : South of Downtown which is the largest area of Chicago which represents 60% of the total area of the city.
The city of Chicago is divided into 77 community zones which were defined by researchers at the University of Chicago in the 20s. These 77 zones include several neighborhoods. There are 228 of them, the complete list of which can be found on Wikipedia.
To better identify the areas to avoid that we will discuss below, here is the map of Chicago neighborhoods: Google Maps
Chicago's most dangerous neighborhoods
According to fbi statistics, the 5 most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago are:
- West Garfield Park
- North Lawndale
- East Garfield Park
- Washington park
- West Englewood
These 5 neighborhoods have the highest per capita rates of violent crime and property crime.
Where are the dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago?
Here's where Chicago's 5 most dangerous neighborhoods are:
West Garfield Park neighborhood in Chicago
West Garfield Park is Zone 26 of Chicago's 77 community areas: See location of this neighborhood
North Lawndale neighborhood in Chicago
Right next to West Garfield Park, North Lawndale is Zone # 29 of Chicago's 77 community areas: See location of this neighborhood
East Garfield Park neighborhood in Chicago
Right next to West Garfield Park and North Lawndale, East Garfield Park is Zone # 27 of Chicago's 77 community areas: See location of this neighborhood
Washington Park neighborhood in Chicago
Washington Park is Sector # 40: See location of this neighborhood
West Englewood neighborhood in Chicago
West Englewood is Sector # 67: See location of this neighborhood
Other neighborhoods to avoid in Chicago
Less dangerous than those previously listed, here are the other neighborhoods to avoid in Chicago because of their fairly high level of insecurity (click on their links to locate them):
- Riverdale (section 54)
- Grand Crossing (section 69)
- Chatham (section 44)
- Englewood other parts besides the west side (section 68)
- Burnside (section 47)
- Buses (section 50)
- south chicago (section 46)
- Fuller park (section 37)
- South Deering (section 51)
Best neighborhoods to stay in Chicago
Fortunately, there are not only dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago, there are indeed, a large number of safer neighborhoods to live in. Among the best neighborhoods most cited by Chicago real estate agencies are:
- Bridgeport
- North Center
- South shore
- Old Town
- West loop
- Lincoln park
- Lakeview
- W
- Bucktown
- Gold Coast
- Logan square
- Lincoln square
Be careful because these neighborhoods are the ones that have recorded lower crime rates than other neighborhoods in Chicago. This means that they are less dangerous but not necessarily completely safe.
Best area to visit Chicago
For to visit Chicago or to spend a few days of vacation, here is the favorite district of tourists: The Loop
The Loop in downtown Chicago
Neighborhood loop is a district of Downtown Chicago where are concentrated the giant skyscrapers wedged between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. See location of this neighborhood
The Loop tourist district of Chicago
It is in this district that you will find the most emblematic sites of Chicago:
- The Willis Tower and its 103-story Chicago Skydeck,
- the historic Chicago Theater,
- the famous Chicago Board of Trade,
- Millennium Park and its Cloud Gate sculpture better known as The Bean,
- The Art Institute of Chicago,
- the American Writers Museum.
From this district, all major attractions are within walking distance!
Where to stay in Chicago to visit?
There is a large hotel offer in the Chicago Loop District. To choose the best location as a tourist, I recommend the hotel: EMC2 Autograph Collection
And if you're looking for cheaper accommodation, here's a good hotel that's also well placed in downtown Chicago for exploring the city on foot:
