Crime in East St. Louis, Illinois

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In East St. Louis, however, property crimes account for only about 61% of all offenses.

Property crime is less prevalent in East St. Louis than it is nationwide. There were 415 property crimes in East St. Louis in 2019, or 1,579 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,110 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. However, burglary is the most commonly committed type of property crime in East St. Louis. There were 139 larcenies reported in East St. Louis in 2019, or 529 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 169 break-ins reported in East St. Louis in 2019, or 643 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 341 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 220 for every 100,000 people. In East St. Louis, meanwhile, there were 107 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 407 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the nearly 8.2 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2019. In East St. Louis, however, violent offenses account for a much larger 39% share of all reported crime.

At 1,020 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in East St. Louis is well above the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in East St. Louis reported a total of 268 violent crimes in 2019.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in East St. Louis. There were 173 aggravated assaults reported in East St. Louis in 2019, or 658 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far lower, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 32 robberies reported in East St. Louis in 2019, a rate of 122 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 27 rapes reported in East St. Louis in 2019, or 103 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There were 36 homicides committed in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in East St. Louis is 137.0 murders for every 100,000 people, many times higher than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.