SafeRoute

Safety index · Chicago · data through July 2026

Is Lincoln Square safe?

Lincoln Square shows a typical level of reported crime for Chicago. Its SafeRoute safety index is 56 out of 100 — 4 points above the citywide median of 52, ranking 31st of 77 Chicago community areas — based on 661 incidents reported to the Chicago Police Department within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).

56/100
Moderate
SafeRoute safety index for the area within 1 km of the center of Lincoln Square — higher is safer. 31st of 77 Chicago community areas.

The largest reported category here is violent crime (23% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.

Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 26% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 16% overnight.

Where incidents cluster

North Ashland AvenueWest Foster Avenue neighborhood center 1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe 500 m N ↑
661 incidents reported within 1 km of the Lincoln Square center (500 shown) · Chicago PD data through July 2026 · basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors. Reports cluster toward the south-west of the map — the area immediately around the neighborhood center is comparatively quiet.

What's reported here

Violent crime
152 · 23%
Other theft
171 · 26%
Criminal damage & arson
42 · 6%
Burglary
41 · 6%
Public order
36 · 5%
Shoplifting
106 · 16%

When it happens

6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aMON–FRI6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aSAT–SUN

Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.

Walking in Lincoln Square at night?

SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same live crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Pick the safer way, share your walk, and check in when you arrive. Free, no account.

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Nearby areas

Common questions

Is Lincoln Square safe at night?

Moderate overall (safety index 56/100). About 42% of severity-weighted incidents in Lincoln Square are reported between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. At night, prefer lit, busier streets — a block or two of detour often avoids the clusters on the map above.

What is the most common crime in Lincoln Square?

Violent crime — 152 of 661 incidents (23%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.

How is the Lincoln Square safety index calculated?

SafeRoute weights each incident reported to the Chicago Police Department by severity (violence weighs more than shoplifting), sums the last available period within 1 km of the neighborhood center, and normalizes against citywide crime rates onto a 0–100 scale — higher is safer. It describes reported crime only; it is not a guarantee of safety.