Elmwood Park, IL Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Elmwood Park, IL

Is Elmwood Park, IL safe to live in?

Elmwood Park earns an overall crime grade of B+ and a city-wide safety rating of Very Safe (A) — a strong performance for a suburb of nearly 24,274 residents packed at a density of 4,911 people per square mile. What makes that grade especially meaningful is the consistency behind it: 100% of the two analyzed neighborhoods — Galewood and Montclare — received an A- safety grade, meaning there are no D or F pockets dragging the average down. For context, many comparable Illinois suburbs see 20–30% of their neighborhoods fall into the C range or below. Elmwood Park's across-the-board A performance sets it well apart.

What is the crime rate in Elmwood Park compared to other communities?

Rather than raw counts, the most useful way to benchmark Elmwood Park is through its letter-grade distribution. With 100% of neighborhoods graded A and 0% graded B, C, D, or F, the village sits in a tier that relatively few Illinois communities achieve. The city-wide safety rating of Very Safe (A) reflects crime levels significantly below national and state averages. Socioeconomic indicators support this picture: the poverty rate is just 6.6% and unemployment sits at 4.4% — both well below typical thresholds associated with elevated crime risk. A median household income of $63,312 further anchors community stability.

Which neighborhoods in Elmwood Park have the lowest crime?

Both of Elmwood Park's analyzed neighborhoods rank as the safest in the village — and the gap between them is narrow:

• Galewood — Grade: A- | Population: ~10,052 | Median Household Income: $89,104. Galewood's above-average income correlates with strong home security investment and active community engagement, contributing to its top-tier safety standing.
• Montclare — Grade: A- | Population: ~13,497 | Median Household Income: $57,730. Montclare is the larger of the two neighborhoods by population and maintains the same A- grade despite a more modest income profile, suggesting effective local policing and community cohesion.

Notably, even the "higher crime" areas listed for Elmwood Park are Galewood and Montclare themselves — both still graded A-. This means there is no meaningfully higher-risk zone within the village; the relative difference between neighborhoods is minimal.

Is Elmwood Park a good place to raise a family?

The data makes a compelling case. Families evaluating Elmwood Park will find a B+ overall crime grade, a Very Safe (A) city-wide rating, and 100% of neighborhoods in the A tier — a combination that puts safety concerns well below the baseline for most Chicago-area suburbs. Beyond crime, the fundamentals are solid: a median home value of $266,271 offers relative affordability compared to many Cook County communities, median rent of $1,191 keeps the village accessible to renters, and a poverty rate of only 6.6% signals economic stability. With both Galewood (income: $89,104) and Montclare (income: $57,730) earning A- safety grades, families can feel confident across the entire village rather than having to cherry-pick specific blocks.

How does Elmwood Park's income level relate to its crime grades?

The relationship is visible in the neighborhood data. Galewood, with the higher median income of $89,104, and Montclare, at $57,730, both achieve an A- safety grade — suggesting that even at the lower income tier represented by Montclare, Elmwood Park's community infrastructure keeps crime rates well controlled. Village-wide, the median household income of $63,312 sits comfortably above many Illinois municipalities that struggle with C or D crime grades. Economists generally find that communities where poverty rates stay below 10% — Elmwood Park's is 6.6% — tend to sustain lower property and violent crime rates, and the village's grade distribution confirms that pattern holds here.

What types of crime should residents in Elmwood Park be most aware of?

While Elmwood Park's overall grades are excellent — B+ overall, Very Safe (A) city-wide, and A- in every analyzed neighborhood — no community is entirely without risk. At a population density of 4,911 residents per square mile, Elmwood Park is moderately dense for a suburb, which can elevate the likelihood of opportunistic property crimes such as vehicle break-ins and package theft relative to lower-density towns. Residents in both Galewood and Montclare are encouraged to use standard precautions: securing vehicles, using porch cameras, and reporting suspicious activity to the Elmwood Park Police Department. The village's strong A- grades in both neighborhoods indicate these efforts are working, but sustained vigilance is part of what keeps those grades high.