SafeRoute

Safety index · Chicago · data through July 2026

Is West Lawn safe?

West Lawn sits at the safer end of Chicago by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 72 out of 100 — 20 points above the citywide median of 52, ranking 14th of 77 Chicago community areas — based on 299 incidents reported to the Chicago Police Department within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).

72/100
Moderate
SafeRoute safety index for the area within 1 km of the center of West Lawn — higher is safer. 14th of 77 Chicago community areas.

The largest reported category here is violent crime (24% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.

Timing matters here: about 31% of severity-weighted incidents are reported overnight (midnight–6 a.m.), so route choice late at night matters more than the headline number suggests.

Where incidents cluster

West Marquette RoadWest 71st Street neighborhood center 1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe 500 m N ↑
299 incidents reported within 1 km of the West Lawn center · Chicago PD data through July 2026 · basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors. Reports cluster toward the north-east of the map — the area immediately around the neighborhood center is comparatively quiet.

What's reported here

Violent crime
72 · 24%
Criminal damage & arson
38 · 13%
Other theft
59 · 20%
Vehicle crime
48 · 16%
Burglary
21 · 7%
Other
30 · 10%

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 West Lawn 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 West Lawn safe at night?

Moderate overall (safety index 72/100). About 60% of severity-weighted incidents in West Lawn 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 Lawn?

Violent crime — 72 of 299 incidents (24%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.

How is the West Lawn 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.