Waukegan's crime rate
There were 2,260 crimes reported in Waukegan, Illinois in 2019, the most recent year crime data is available. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 2,613 incidents for every 100,000 people.
How does Waukegan compare?
Waukegan has a higher overall crime rate than the vast majority of U.S. cities. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people.
Waukegan's overall crime rate is 16% higher than the overall crime rate in Illinois. Statewide, there were 285,545 crimes reported in 2019, or 2,253 for every 100,000 people.
What types of crimes are being committed?
The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.
Property crime
The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In Waukegan, property crimes also account for about 85% of all offenses.
Property crime is more prevalent in Waukegan than it is nationwide. There were 1,929 property crimes in Waukegan in 2019, or 2,230 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. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Waukegan. There were 1,498 larcenies reported in Waukegan in 2019, or 1,732 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.
Burglary
There were 350 break-ins reported in Waukegan in 2019, or 405 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 Waukegan, meanwhile, there were 81 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 94 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 Waukegan, violent offenses also account for a 15% share of all reported crime.
At 383 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Waukegan is about the same as the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Waukegan reported a total of 331 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 Waukegan. There were 183 aggravated assaults reported in Waukegan in 2019, or 212 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is higher, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.
Robbery
Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 127 robberies reported in Waukegan in 2019, a rate of 147 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.
Rape
There were 20 rapes reported in Waukegan in 2019, or 23 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.
Murder
There was one homicide reported in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Waukegan is 1.2 for every 100,000 people, considerably lower than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.
Waukegan compared to other cities in Illinois
Waukegan has a higher crime rate than the vast majority of all comparable cities in Illinois. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2019 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.
Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.
Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.
Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.
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