Top 25 Most Violent Cities in Illinois, 2016 List

The top 25 most violent cities of 2016 may not come as a surprise, but the statistics are shocking.

According to Law Street Media, Illinois is the 21st most dangerous state in all of America.

The ranking of most dangerous states and the most violent cities in each state are determined using the latest available violent crime data from the FBI.

All states were ranked from most dangerous to safest and details the violent crime statistics for every city in the country with a reported population of 25,000 or more. Using data on crimes of murder, aggravated assault, robbery and forcible rape, a rating system was determined. That rating system produced these staggering statistics, ranking the most violent cities in Illinois.

To learn more about this ranking at to see all the statistics, click HERE.

25. Aurora

24. Urbana

23. Joliet

22. Moline

21. Cicero

20. Galesburg

19. Rock Island

18. DeKalb

17. Bloomington

16. Waukegan

15. Quincy

14. Decatur

13. Alton

12. Calumet City

11. Carbondale

10. Peoria

9. Chicago Heights

8. Champaign

7. Kankakee

6. Chicago

5. Springfield

4. Danville

3. Rockford

2. Harvey

1. East St. Louis

Does it come as a surprise to you where Rockford ranked on the list? It sure did to me.

I grew up near Harvey, which is ranked at number 2 on the list. Harvey was a place 'you just didn't go' but I have been to many of times. When I went to school in South Holland, I drove through Harvey every day. It didn't bother me any, but with all the hype, I did feel a bit uncomfortable from time to time.

Rockford is in at number 3 on the list. While it doesn't surprise me, it saddens me. Of course I see the news on the television, murders, robberies, crimes abundant, but I fortunately have not been on the receiving end of any of these crimes. I feel safe here in Rockford. I'm not worried driving to work or driving through town. I've seen the community come together for the greater good. It truly saddens me to see this beautiful place ranked so highly on this list.

Want to see how cities in Wisconsin ranked? Here are the 25 Most Violent Cities in Wisconsin.