Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Chicago/America 2012

A little over a year ago, we did an entry on the Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Chicago based on data from Neighborhood Scout.  This is a follow-up to that entry, reflecting an article from DailyFinance based on 2012 data from Neighborhood Scout.  Once again, the data reflects your odds of becoming a victim of violent crime on those particular streets within the past year.

As in the previous entry, Chicago doesn't fare very well.  Although it no longer has the "worst" neighborhood in America for violent crime, it has the second-worst, along with three others in the Top 25.  No other city has more than two on this list.  That's not to say the data isn't interesting, but it's also not earth-shattering.  For starters, the two "neighborhoods" that appeared on the previous list do not appear on this one.  Also, the four "neighborhoods" that appear on this list are clustered closely together.

This leads to the debate as to what exactly is a neighborhood, based on this study.  They are not four of the officially designated community areas of the city (all four on this list are MUCH smaller than community areas), and they are not really informally designated neighborhoods.  It clearly appears that it is just a tiny slice of the city, usually quadrilateral, selected by its particularly high presence of crime. So, to see which neighborhoods made the list...


The 2nd Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the United States

Community Area: Washington Park

North Boundary: 51st St.

South Boundary: Garfield Blvd. (55th St.)

East Boundary: State St.

West Boundary: Rail Tracks west of Federal St.

Predicted Annual Violent Crimes: 275
(appx. 5 per week)

Odds of Becoming a Victim: 1 in 4
(citywide: 1 in 94)



The 19th Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the United States

Community Area: Englewood

North Boundary: 63rd St.

South Boundary: Marquette Rd. (67th St.)

East Boundary: Wentworth Ave.

West Boundary: Halsted St.

Predicted Annual Violent Crimes: 527
(appx. 10 per week)

Odds of Becoming a Victim: 1 in 9
(citywide: 1 in 94)



The 24th Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the United States

Community Area: Englewood

North Boundary: Garfield Blvd. (55th St.)

South Boundary: 59th St.

East Boundary: Rail Tracks east of Lowe Ave.

West Boundary: Halsted St.

Predicted Annual Violent Crimes: 125
(appx. 2-3 per week)

Odds of Becoming a Victim: 1 in 9
(citywide: 1 in 94)



The 25th Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the United States

Community Area: West Englewood

North Boundary: 59th St.

South Boundary: 63rd St.

East Boundary: Wood St.

West Boundary: Damen Ave.

Predicted Annual Violent Crimes: 234
(4-5 per week)

Odds of Becoming a Victim: 1 in 10
(citywide: 1 in 94)



With the uptick in crime in Chicago compared to last year, and then seeing the Windy City place four on this list when no other city placed more than two, this can seem a little disconcerting.  However, looking at the past 20 years (and even back further), crime has declined precipitously in Chicago, as in most other major cities across the country.  It is yet to be seen if this year so far has been a blip on the radar, and hindsight will be much more revealing than what we now know.  The increase has been attached to multiple theories, notably a remarkably hot summer, splintered gangs at war, and ineffective police tactics.  A few other things worth noting from this data:

• Many people have a negative connotation about the south side.  But while all four "neighborhoods" on this list are on the south side, geographically they make up only a small portion of it.  Some of the city's safest neighborhoods are on the south side, notably Bridgeport, Mount Greenwood, and Midway (Garfield Ridge/Clearing).
• Englewood already had a bad enough reputation, and this will help solidify that.  Two of the four (and three if you lump in West Englewood) are in Chicago's most notorious neighborhood. 
• However, looking at the map below, you'll see that the four "neighborhoods" on this list are bunched very closely together.  What if they had been combined into one larger area?  I'm still curious as to how the boundary lines were drawn up since the sizes and populations of the "neighborhoods" vary greatly across the list.
• What happened to the "neighborhoods" from the last list?  Would be curious as to their level of improvement.  Or are they not included since they've already appeared on a previous list?

As always, if you find yourself in one of these neighborhoods (or any other "dangerous" neighborhood), common sense goes a long way.  If you stick to major roads and avoid looking for trouble, chances are really good you'll avoid incident.  Lastly, some of Chicago's roughest neighborhoods have some of its most incredible cultural experiences.  Without naming places at this point, don't avoid them just because of the neighborhood's reputation.  Taking precautions such as a vehicle (car, taxi, hovercraft, etc.) to get you from door-to-door will greatly reduce your exposure to crime and better allow you to enjoy a potentially wonderful experience.

Chicago's "most dangerous neighborhoods" in terms of proximity from the Loop (in blue).