Safety index · Chicago · data through July 2026
Is Portage Park safe?
Portage Park shows a typical level of reported crime for Chicago. Its SafeRoute safety index is 61 out of 100 — 9 points above the citywide median of 52, ranking 23rd of 77 Chicago community areas — based on 476 incidents reported to the Chicago Police Department within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).
The largest reported category here is violent crime (30% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 31% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 22% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 143 · 30% | |
| Burglary | 56 · 12% | |
| Other theft | 85 · 18% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 32 · 7% | |
| Other | 51 · 11% | |
| Public order | 23 · 5% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Portage Park 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.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreNearby areas
- Jefferson Park76/100 · Low risk
- Belmont Cragin48/100 · Elevated
- Irving Park57/100 · Moderate
- Dunning76/100 · Low risk
- Albany Park49/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Portage Park safe at night?
Moderate overall (safety index 61/100). About 54% of severity-weighted incidents in Portage Park 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 Portage Park?
Violent crime — 143 of 476 incidents (30%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.
How is the Portage Park 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.