Safety index · Chicago · data through October 2026
Is Uptown Chicago safe?
Uptown records a high level of reported crime for Chicago. Its SafeRoute safety index is 35 out of 100 — 22 points below the citywide median of 57, ranking 71st of 77 Chicago community areas — based on 2,605 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 Uptown against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (27% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 28% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 16% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 698 · 27% | |
| Other theft | 689 · 26% | |
| Shoplifting | 265 · 10% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 259 · 10% | |
| Burglary | 164 · 6% | |
| Other | 140 · 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 Uptown 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
- Edgewater46/100 · Elevated
- Lincoln Square60/100 · Moderate
- North Center72/100 · Moderate
- Lincoln Park53/100 · Moderate
Common questions
Is Uptown safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 35/100). About 44% of severity-weighted incidents in Uptown 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 Uptown?
Violent crime — 698 of 2,605 incidents (27%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 9 months to October 2026.
How is the Uptown 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.