Maybe your company has promoted you to a great position- but you have to relocate to their Chicago office. Or perhaps you never ever considered living in Chicago- until you discovered that a $100,000 salary in Chicago is equal to $199,000 salary in New York City. A move to the Windy City might just be a good financial decision for you as a way to get ahead. Whatever your reason, that “City by the Lake” will soon become your new home, and Chicago safety is foremost in your mind. So your biggest question now is: “What are the best and safest neighborhoods in Chicago to live in?”
“Chicago’s neighborhoods have always been the city’s greatest strength.”
(Jane Byrne, Chicago’s mayor, 1979-83)
Chicago has 77 neighborhoods from which to choose. And as Mayor Jane Byrne famously said, Chicago’s neighborhoods are its greatest strength. The city is a melting pot with any kind of food on earth available, has great sports, world-class arts, shopping, and entertainment, and amazing parks, conservatories, and recreation. Plus Chicago is a major center for every genre of music offerings- jazz, blues, rock and roll, house, soul, psychobilly, pirate metal- even Tuvan throat singing if that’s your vibe. There is a little something for everyone in the neighborhoods of Chicago.
But Chicago is the third largest city in the US, with 2.7 million residents, and like any large city, there are safe and unsafe areas. Don’t let crime statistics scare you off. True, Chicago crime rates overall are 62% higher than the national average, with violent crimes 164% higher than the national average. But crime has been decreasing by 4% each year, with an 8% decrease in violent crime specifically. More to the point, there are still plenty of safe areas in Chicago to live.
The Top 10 Safest Places In Chicago In 2024
Edison Par
Top on most lists of safe places to live in Chicago is Edison Park. This neighborhood is in the northwest section of Chicago and has a friendly suburban feel, above average schools, and great walkability to its variety of restaurants (Moretti’s Pizza!), parks, and bars. Due to the residency requirement that mandates that Chicago police must live where they work, many police officers have settled in Edison Park. This certainly contributes to the safety of the neighborhood, which has a crime rate that is 77% lower than Chicago’s average. The median rent for a 1 bedroom place is $1850/mo, though only 21% of residents are renters. 79% of Edison Park residents own their own homes and the median home price is $334,700. Many young professionals live in Edison Park. Additionally Edison Park has one of the highest concentrations of Irish in Chicago- fully three-fourths of the neighborhood are Irish.
Forest Glen
This neighborhood is also located in northwest Chicago, with a relaxed suburban feel, and a definite slant towards families (almost half of its households have children under 18). Forest Glen commuters use the convenient Milwaukee District North Metra line that goes between downtown Union station and Fox Lake, IL. Average rent here is $1,375/mo and the home values hover around $478,200. In comparing low-crime areas in Chicago, Forest Glen’s crime rate is 70% lower than the Chicago average.
Norwood Park
Jim Jacobs, the creator of the musical “Grease” says that he modeled his play on places and people from his childhood home of Norwood Park- even his favorite Superdawg drive-in (which is still there). Norwood Park is another northwest neighborhood with a suburban feel that is rated high on safety-with a crime rate 72% lower than the Chicago average. Norwood Park has rents around $2,125/mo but about 78% of residents here own their home, with average homes priced around $439,500. While Norwood Park is further from Chicago’s downtown, it is just a few miles from O’Hare Airport, appreciated by its residents that must travel for work.
Mount Greenwood
Their crime rate here is 66 percent lower than Chicago’s average, and most consider it safe to walk around day or night. 2024 statistics indicate the median home sold price in Mount Greenwood was $290,166 with rents around $1,300/mo. A fair share of fire-fighters, police and union workers call this predominantly Irish Catholic neighborhood home.
Westmont
The crime rate here in this neighborhood northwest of downtown is 65% lower than Chicago’s average. It has a safe, small town feel and is sought out by families. Westmont has a more diverse community mostly made up of Whites, with Asians, Hispanics, and Black populations. 2024 home values are priced around $372,964, with average rents for 1 br at $3,758.
Beverly
Located on Chicago’s south side, historic Beverly is one of the most racially integrated neighborhoods in Chicago, with 55.3% white and 32.4% black, plus Asian, Hispanic and other groups living there. Three quarters of Beverly is made up of single family detached homes with the other residences being low-rise condos. 85.3% of Beverly dwellings are owner-occupied, the rest 14.7% renter occupied. Public transportation is good, with 5 Metra stations, CTA, and buses. Crime here is 55% lower than the rest of Chicago. Besides its landmark architecture, Beverly boasts the most Irish bars along its Western AV than any other Chicago neighborhood- which means St Patrick’s Day in Beverly is a grand celebration.
Lakeview
Baseball fans love Lakeview- it is adjacent to Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Because of the ballpark, surrounding bars and restaurants, and the Belmont Theater District, police presence is high here at all times. This makes Lakeview’s crime rate 40% lower than Chicago’s average. Median sale price here is $447,000 and average rent for a Lakeview apartment is $2,299/mo.
Streeterville
This urban neighborhood is safe alright, but is among the most expensive neighborhoods in Chicago as well. Its location is the reason. This small waterfront neighborhood is on the north edge of the Chicago Loop, with prime high-rise views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. You can visit historic Navy Pier, and shop at the beautiful Magnificent Mile. Average rent here is $2,940/mo. If you take advantage of Streeterville’s myriad bus routes, you can save money by not buying and maintaining a car.
Lincoln Park
Attractions include Lincoln Park Zoo, Lincoln Park conservatory, North Avenue Beach, Second City comedy club. Lincoln Park is where all young professionals want to live- 43.4% here are between 20 and 34 years old, and most households (63.3%) are non-families. The median income is $115,389- and 55.3% of residents are renters. The average rent is $2,173/mo and an average home is around $554,900. Though Lincoln Park is expensive, it provides an easy commute to the nearby downtown. Lincoln Park is usually considered one of the safe parts of Chicago- crime is 24% lower than the Chicago average.
Rogers Park
Diversity and safety are the qualities that multicultural Rogers Park offers its residents. Crime is 23% lower here than the Chicago average. In addition, singles, couples and LGBTQ+ members reside here to enjoy Rogers Park’s theaters, libraries, architecture (e.g. Frank Lloyd Wright designed several homes here), and Loyola University’s offerings. At least 80 languages are spoken here, showcasing the various people that settled in Rogers Park- Irish, German, Jewish, English, Eastern European, Russian, and African American. The median home price is $232,793 but only 28% of residents are owners. 72% of households in Rogers Park are renter-occupied- in 2024 the median rent for a 1 br is $1,451.
Note that this list of top 10 safe neighborhoods in Chicago just scratches the surface. Many safety lists include other great neighborhoods too (North Center, O’Hare, Dunning, Jefferson Park, Clearing, West Town to name a few). Safe Chicago suburbs abound as well (e.g. Buffalo Grove, Clarendon Hills, Naperville, Oak Park, Hinsdale, La Grange Park).
In summary, many recent strides have been made in improving security and reducing crime rates in Chicago. Various Windy City neighborhoods offer remarkable architecture, savory cuisines, great activities, and affordable housing, along with warm hospitality. Some may question, “How safe is Chicago?”
But taking a closer look reveals vibrant neighborhoods where many residents live comfortably and securely.
