Most Dangerous & Safest Counties in Illinois

Illinois has 37 counties with crime data. The county with the highest homicide rate is Alexander County at 25.0 per 100K , while the safest is McHenry County at 1.0 per 100K .

9 of 37 counties (24%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100K. All rates are per 100,000 residents and come from County Health Rankings, which compiles data from the CDC, FBI, and other federal sources.

Metric

Most Dangerous Counties in Illinois

Top 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
1 Alexander County 25.0 per 100K +212.5%
2 St. Clair County 18.2 per 100K +127.0%
3 Cook County 16.4 per 100K +104.6%
4 Vermilion County 13.1 per 100K +63.1%
5 Rock Island County 12.4 per 100K +55.0%
6 Peoria County 11.9 per 100K +48.4%
7 Macon County 10.6 per 100K +32.3%
8 Winnebago County 9.8 per 100K +22.9%
9 Kankakee County 8.8 per 100K +10.1%
10 Sangamon County 6.7 per 100K -16.8%

Safest Counties in Illinois

Bottom 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
37 McHenry County 1.0 per 100K -87.9%
36 DuPage County 1.8 per 100K -77.8%
35 LaSalle County 2.1 per 100K -73.8%
34 Tazewell County 2.2 per 100K -72.9%
33 Adams County 2.2 per 100K -72.8%
32 DeKalb County 2.5 per 100K -68.9%
31 Coles County 2.9 per 100K -64.3%
30 Henry County 2.9 per 100K -63.9%
29 Williamson County 3.0 per 100K -62.6%
28 Knox County 3.2 per 100K -60.5%

All 37 Counties Ranked

Every county in Illinois ranked by homicide rate. Click any county for its full profile.

# County Homicides
1 Alexander County 25.0 per 100K +212.5%
2 St. Clair County 18.2 per 100K +127.0%
3 Cook County 16.4 per 100K +104.6%
4 Vermilion County 13.1 per 100K +63.1%
5 Rock Island County 12.4 per 100K +55.0%
6 Peoria County 11.9 per 100K +48.4%
7 Macon County 10.6 per 100K +32.3%
8 Winnebago County 9.8 per 100K +22.9%
9 Kankakee County 8.8 per 100K +10.1%
10 Sangamon County 6.7 per 100K -16.8%
11 Champaign County 6.3 per 100K -21.3%
12 Stephenson County 5.8 per 100K -27.7%
13 Randolph County 5.3 per 100K -34.1%
14 Jackson County 4.8 per 100K -39.6%
15 Madison County 4.6 per 100K -42.5%
16 Effingham County 4.6 per 100K -42.6%
17 Bureau County 4.3 per 100K -45.8%
18 Marion County 4.2 per 100K -47.9%
19 Will County 4.1 per 100K -49.3%
20 Livingston County 3.9 per 100K -51.4%
21 Whiteside County 3.9 per 100K -51.6%
22 Jefferson County 3.8 per 100K -52.4%
23 Macoupin County 3.8 per 100K -52.4%
24 Lake County 3.8 per 100K -52.8%
25 Kendall County 3.6 per 100K -54.8%
26 McLean County 3.6 per 100K -55.3%
27 Kane County 3.3 per 100K -58.8%
28 Knox County 3.2 per 100K -60.5%
29 Williamson County 3.0 per 100K -62.6%
30 Henry County 2.9 per 100K -63.9%
31 Coles County 2.9 per 100K -64.3%
32 DeKalb County 2.5 per 100K -68.9%
33 Adams County 2.2 per 100K -72.8%
34 Tazewell County 2.2 per 100K -72.9%
35 LaSalle County 2.1 per 100K -73.8%
36 DuPage County 1.8 per 100K -77.8%
37 McHenry County 1.0 per 100K -87.9%

About This Data

All figures are estimates from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CDC, FBI, NCHS), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Values are subject to sampling variability and margin of error.

Rankings are within Illinois only and may differ from national rankings. For more information, see our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous county in Illinois?
The county with the highest homicide rate in Illinois is Alexander County, at 25.0 per 100,000 residents. This is 213% above the national rate of 8 per 100K.
What is the safest county in Illinois?
The county with the lowest homicide rate in Illinois is McHenry County, at 1.0 per 100,000 residents.
How does Illinois's crime rate compare to the national average?
9 of 37 counties in Illinois (24%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Illinois has the most firearm fatalities?
St. Clair County has the highest firearm fatality rate in Illinois at 24.3 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Illinois has the most drug overdose deaths?
Winnebago County has the highest drug overdose death rate in Illinois at 53.1 per 100,000 residents.