Biggest Jump in Illinois Crime Isn’t Even Close to Chicago

I guessed wrong. It's not Chicago or Rockford. No, the biggest jump in crime in the Land of Lincoln isn't even close to either of the places that normally get mentioned with danger in the state comes up.

Every now and then I check in with crime rates in Illinois and the most recent one I could locate was from Population U. Their "most dangerous cities in Illinois for 2024" can be viewed through many lenses. I specifically wanted to know what city in Illinois has seen the biggest jump in crime over the past 3 years and #1 was surprising to me.

What Illinois place has seen the biggest jump in crime in recent years?

According to the new data shared, it's Springfield, Illinois with an increase of 4,256 violent crimes. Get this. As of 2019, Springfield has 889 violent crimes. Just 2 years later, there were 5,145.

I remember over 40 years ago when my parents took me to Springfield and Salem, Illinois to visit the historic Abraham Lincoln places. I remember thinking how it seemed like a pretty laid back place considering how many people lived there. It's sadly not that way anymore.

When your crime rate jump rivals that of even Chicago or Rockford, you know that your trending the wrong direction. Time will tell if this humongous jump in Springfield, Illinois crime is a short-term bad streak or a long term terminal problem.