Benchmarks & Trends to Inform Policy and Action
Violent crime takes a devastating toll on Chicago’s communities, impacting residents, families, and neighborhoods. Each incident represents not just a statistic but a human tragedy.
Chicago’s experience is neither unique nor inevitable. City size doesn’t determine safety. In 1990, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia all ranked among America’s most violent large cities.
Today, New York and Los Angeles have transformed into some of the nation’s safest cities, while Chicago and Philadelphia continue to face significant challenges. By studying the patterns of violence, we can identify successful strategies and work toward creating safer communities where all residents can thrive.
Methodology
Definitions
- Shootings: Number of fatal and non-fatal shooting victims.
- Homicides: Number of incidents. Includes murder, negligent, and non-negligent manslaughter. Justifiable homicide is not included.
- Violent Crime Incidents: Number of incidents. Includes robbery, rape/criminal sexual assault, aggravated assault/battery, and homicide.
Sources
Our options for city comparisons are limited by a lack of publicly available data in peer cities. We believe transparency in crime data is vital to understanding and improving public safety.
- Chicago: Chicago Police Department through the Chicago Data Portal API
- New York City: New York Police Department through NYC Open Data API
- Philadelphia: Philadelphia Police Department through OpenDataPhilly
- Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department through LA Open Data Portal and Los Angeles Compstat reports
Limitations
There are limitations regarding the availability of data as well as the accuracy and completeness of data. Crime classifications are based on information provided by reporting agencies. Preliminary classifications may be changed later based on additional investigation by agencies. Many agencies do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or correct sequencing of their information.
In March 2024, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) began implementing an update to their crime reporting system. Because of issues with crime data availability, data were imputed for March through May of 2024. Violent crime data from June 2024 forward is manually pulled from LAPD Compstat reports.
Additional Notes
- Offense definitions come from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and are based on common-law definitions.
- Data are updated monthly.