SafeRoute

Safety index · Chicago · data through July 2026

Is South Lawndale safe?

South Lawndale shows a typical level of reported crime for Chicago. Its SafeRoute safety index is 55 out of 100 — right at the citywide median of 52, ranking 33rd of 77 Chicago community areas — based on 564 incidents reported to the Chicago Police Department within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).

55/100
Moderate
SafeRoute safety index for the area within 1 km of the center of South Lawndale — higher is safer. 33rd of 77 Chicago community areas.

The largest reported category here is violent crime (34% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.

Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 29% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 24% overnight.

Where incidents cluster

West 31st StreetSouth Kedzie Avenue neighborhood center 1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe 500 m N ↑
564 incidents reported within 1 km of the South Lawndale center (500 shown) · Chicago PD data through July 2026 · basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors. Reports cluster toward the north of the map — the area immediately around the neighborhood center is comparatively quiet.

What's reported here

Violent crime
193 · 34%
Criminal damage & arson
71 · 13%
Other theft
112 · 20%
Other
56 · 10%
Burglary
20 · 4%
Vehicle crime
34 · 6%

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 South Lawndale 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 South Lawndale safe at night?

Moderate overall (safety index 55/100). About 52% of severity-weighted incidents in South Lawndale 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 South Lawndale?

Violent crime — 193 of 564 incidents (34%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.

How is the South Lawndale 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.