Safety index · Chicago · data through October 2026
Is North Center safe?
North Center sits at the safer end of Chicago by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 72 out of 100 — 15 points above the citywide median of 57, ranking 18th of 77 Chicago community areas — based on 610 incidents reported to the Chicago Police Department within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 9 months to October 2026.
DATA THROUGH OCTOBER 2026 · 9 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Chicago — a typical Chicago neighborhood sits near 57. It ranks North Center against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
Most of what's reported here is property-related — other theft alone is 38% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 31% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 17% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Other theft | 229 · 38% | |
| Violent crime | 101 · 17% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 74 · 12% | |
| Burglary | 50 · 8% | |
| Vehicle crime | 44 · 7% | |
| Shoplifting | 33 · 5% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Is Chicago safe at night? See which neighborhoods see the most reported crime after dark →
Walking in North Center at night?
SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same official crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Compare the routes and share your walk. Free, no account.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreNearby areas
- Lake View37/100 · Elevated
- Avondale55/100 · Moderate
- Logan Square52/100 · Moderate
- Uptown35/100 · Elevated
- Lincoln Square60/100 · Moderate
Common questions
Is North Center safe at night?
Moderate overall (safety index 72/100). About 48% of severity-weighted incidents in North Center 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 North Center?
Other theft — 229 of 610 incidents (38%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 9 months to October 2026.
How is the North Center 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. The scale is calibrated within Chicago, so scores compare neighborhoods to each other and cannot be read against another city's.