Safety index · Chicago · data through August 2026
Is West Elsdon safe?
West Elsdon shows a typical level of reported crime for Chicago. Its SafeRoute safety index is 65 out of 100 — 8 points above the citywide median of 57, ranking 26th of 77 Chicago community areas — based on 587 incidents reported to the Chicago Police Department within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 7 months to August 2026.
DATA THROUGH AUGUST 2026 · 7 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Chicago — a typical Chicago neighborhood sits near 57. It ranks West Elsdon against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (29% 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 25% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 169 · 29% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 86 · 15% | |
| Other theft | 99 · 17% | |
| Burglary | 45 · 8% | |
| Vehicle crime | 77 · 13% | |
| Other | 48 · 8% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in West Elsdon 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
- Archer Heights73/100 · Moderate
- Gage Park57/100 · Moderate
- West Lawn76/100 · Low risk
- Chicago Lawn47/100 · Elevated
- Garfield Ridge86/100 · Low risk
Common questions
Is West Elsdon safe at night?
Moderate overall (safety index 65/100). About 54% of severity-weighted incidents in West Elsdon 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 West Elsdon?
Violent crime — 169 of 587 incidents (29%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 7 months to August 2026.
How is the West Elsdon 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.