Chicago Travel Risk — Moderate Risk (34/100)
Is Chicago safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Chicago scores 34/100 on our travel risk index (Moderate). The UK has no advice against travel; Canada says: exercise normal security precautions. The US State Department does not issue advice for United States. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Government advisory (score 10)
Crime (score 62)
September 27, 2026
Chicago, United States has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 34 out of 100 (moderate risk tier); the highest-rated risk category is crime at 62/100; the lowest-rated category is government advisory at 10/100; last updated September 27, 2026. For official nationwide security advisories, entry requirements, and health notices, see the United States travel risk page. Real-time conditions below include live weather, official advisory levels, GDACS disaster alerts, and current news.
Get a personalized assessment for your tripHow safe is Chicago to visit in 2026?
Chicago currently sits at 34/100 on our composite travel-risk index, which puts it in the moderate-risk tier. Most travelers will be fine with normal precautions, but a few categories below score high enough that planning matters. The highest-rated risk category for Chicago is crime (62/100), and the lowest is government advisory (10/100). This page was last updated on September 27, 2026; the baseline category scores reflect analytical indicators, layered with live conditions throughout the day. Live conditions — weather and air quality every 30 minutes, US State Department advisory every 6 hours, GDACS disaster alerts every 30 minutes, CDC health notices every 12 hours, and news every hour — are cached at the source and refreshed automatically when stale.
Driven by: security (35/100) and crime and scams (44/100).
A score of 34 is higher than the scores of 39% of the 241 countries we cover.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 13, 2026
Chicago, United States currently has a baseline safety score of 34 out of 100, indicating moderate risk as of October 13, 2026. An active orange disaster alert is in place for tropical cyclone ISAIAS-26, affecting a population with Category 1 winds. Additionally, travelers should note a Level 1 global Dengue health notice issued by the CDC.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Oct 16, 2026 08:32 UTC
What should I do now?
- Run a real assessment. Open the calculator for live data (weather, advisory, news) layered onto this baseline.
- Crime (score 62/100): Use registered taxis or ride-share apps. Keep electronics out of sight in public transit. Read recent reviews for your specific neighborhood.
- Environmental quality (score 30/100): Check air-quality forecasts. If sensitive, pack a mask and adjust outdoor activity. Hydration is critical in heat.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Day vs Night Safety in Chicago
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Exercise heightened caution even during daylight hours. Stick to primary thoroughfares, travel in groups where possible, and avoid navigating quiet residential side-streets alone.
Nighttime movement carries significant risk. Strictly avoid solo walking after dark; rely exclusively on hotel-arranged transportation or registered radiotaxis, and confirm destination security before leaving your accommodation.
Safety by Traveler Type in Chicago
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Solo travelers
Crime risk is elevated. Solo travelers should avoid quiet areas at night, keep a charged phone and offline map, and share a live location with someone.
Women traveling solo
General crime risk is elevated. Plan arrivals in daylight, avoid isolated areas, and prefer accommodation with 24h reception. We do not hold gender-specific incident data for Chicago, so also check the live official advisory above and local women-traveler communities.
No group-specific warning is triggered in Chicago for families with children (Health 15/100 · Natural disaster 30/100), older travelers (Health 15/100 · Transport 25/100), business travelers (Digital 20/100 · Money 35/100 · Transport 25/100) and lgbtq+ travelers (Advisory 10/100 · Political 10/100): these scores sit in the low-to-moderate range, so standard precautions apply. Local laws affecting LGBTQ+ travelers and gender-specific incident rates are not captured in our scores; check your government's travel guidance.
Score layers
Safety categories
Source: Grounded open data research & citations
Quick facts
| Hospital access | high |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | medium |
| Road safety | medium |
| Public transport | high |
| Tourist scam risk | medium |
| Night safety | medium |
| Last updated | September 27, 2026 |
Live conditions in Chicago
Real-time data refreshed from public sources — weather and air quality from Open-Meteo, official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For an AI-synthesized briefing tailored to your specific trip, run a personalized assessment.
Official travel advisory
The US State Department does not issue advice for United States.
Disaster alerts
Active Disaster Alerts
-
Green earthquake (Magnitude 5.6M, Depth:1km) in United States 15/10/2026 11:07 UTC, 9 thousand in MMI>=III. GREEN · country-wide · 2026-10-15
On 10/15/2026 11:07:01 AM, an earthquake occurred in United States potentially affecting 9 thousand in MMI>=III. The earthquake had Magnitude 5.6M, Depth:1km.
-
Green flood alert in United States GREEN · country-wide · 2026-05-21
On 19/05/2026, a flood started in United States, lasting until 13/10/2026 (last update). The flood caused 29 deaths and 2292 displaced .
-
Drought is on going in Mexico, United States GREEN · country-wide · 2026-04-30
The Drought notification level is Green.
“~N km away” = event centroid within ~500 km of this location; “country-wide” = a national/regional alert that may not be near this specific city. Source: GDACS · fetched 2026-10-16 08:32:18 UTC
Natural hazard calendar & history
No GDACS or USGS events recorded within 100 km in the past five years.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the United States travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the United States entry requirements.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-10-02
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Vietnam, Maldives, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mar
-
Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-09-23
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
-
Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-10-16 07:26:45 UTC
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Chicago
The most weather-stable two-month window for Chicago is May–June, when typical daily temperatures run from about 11°C to 24°C and monthly rain averages 97 mm.
Seasonal planning flags include hurricane season in June–November. These are climate patterns, not forecasts.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Sep 5, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Practical safety map
Safety infrastructure nearby in Chicago
Chicago has 10 hospitals, 10 police stations, 5 embassies, 10 pharmacies and 5 fire stations within 7 km of the city center in the latest OpenStreetMap extract.
The interactive map loads when it approaches the viewport.
Facility list (works without JavaScript)
- Hospital: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital
- Hospital: Cityscape Counseling
- Hospital: Insight Hospital & Medical Center
- Hospital: Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
- Hospital: John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
- Hospital: Mount Sinai Hospital
- Hospital: Northwestern Memorial Hospital
- Hospital: Rush University Medical Center
- Hospital: Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital
- Hospital: University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital
- Police: Amtrak Police Department
- Police: Chicago Marine Safety Station
- Police: Chicago Police Department 12th District Station
- Police: Chicago Police Department 18th District
- Police: Chicago Police Department 1st District
- Police: Cook County Sheriff's Police Substation
- Police: Illinois Conservation Police
- Police: Metra Police Department
- Police: U.S. Postal Inspection Service
- Police: UIC Police Department
- Embassy: Australian Consulate-General
- Embassy: Consulate General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
- Embassy: Consulate General of the Philippines
- Embassy: Consulate of North Macedonia
- Embassy: South African Consulate-General
- Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy
- Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy
- Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy
- Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy
- Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy
- Pharmacy: Walgreens
- Pharmacy: Walgreens
- Pharmacy: Walgreens
- Pharmacy: Walgreens
- Pharmacy: Walgreens
- Fire station: Chicago Fire Academy
- Fire station: Chicago Fire Department Engine Company 1
- Fire station: Chicago Fire Department Engine Company 13
- Fire station: Chicago Fire Department Engine Company 5
- Fire station: Chicago Fire Department Survive Alive House
Map and facility data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Locations can be incomplete or outdated; confirm before relying on them. See this destination’s numbers or browse emergency numbers by country.
Emergency numbers (United States)
| Police | 911 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 911 |
| Fire | 911 |
| General | 911 |
See nearby hospitals, police, pharmacies, embassies, and fire stations on the safety map.
Medical access
| Hospital access | low |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | low |
| Emergency response | low |
| English-speaking care | unknown |
| Evacuation complexity | low |
The sources did not provide details on hospital access, emergency response, English‑language care, pharmacy access, or evacuation procedures in Chicago. Travelers should consult local health resources for up‑to‑date information.
Common scam patterns
- Shell Game / Three‑Card Monte. A street hustle where operators use a fast‑moving ball or cards to trick participants into betting money. It commonly occurs near Millennium Park, the Bean, and the Magnificent Mile. Tip: Avoid stopping to watch or play street games and keep your belongings secure.
- Fake CD Disc Hustle. Scammers hand out unsolicited music CDs in tourist zones and then demand payment of $10‑20 for the disc. This occurs on the Magnificent Mile and other crowded areas. Tip: Do not accept free items from strangers and walk away if approached.
- Taxi Overcharging. Unlicensed or dishonest taxi drivers at O'Hare and around the city may bypass the meter and quote a flat rate that is higher than the fare. Riders report being charged excessive amounts. Tip: Use app‑based ride services or verify the meter is running before starting the trip.
Area notes
- The Loop. The central business district with major attractions and generally safe for visitors.
- River North. Popular nightlife and dining area with a lower crime rate than many other neighborhoods.
- South Side (e.g., Englewood, Austin). Violent crime is concentrated in parts of the South and West Sides; visitors should avoid these neighborhoods.
Nearest embassies & consulates
Find your home country's diplomatic mission in United States for consular support, lost passports, or citizen emergencies:
Run a personalized assessment for Chicago
Get a tailored briefing in ~15 seconds, with live weather, advisories, and recent news.
Calculate my trip riskScore history
| When | Score change | Tier | Reason / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2026 | 45 → 34 | moderate | Data update scoring v2 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 28 → 45 | moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Sep 10, 2026 | 0 → 0 | unknown | Data update Grounded open data research & citations |
| May 15, 2026 | — → 29 | moderate | Data update Editorial baseline 2026-05-14 (Numbeo + WHO + State Dept + Global Peace Index references) |
Every editorial change to Chicago's composite score is logged here, with the source and reason for the change. Live data overlays (weather, advisories, disaster alerts, news) refresh continuously on their own cadences and are not recorded as score changes — see the Live conditions section above for current overlay state.
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Transparency & Sources
We document the baseline sources, coverage scope, and data inputs for this destination below.
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for Chicago
- Travel Risk Calculator score (method v2): Security, crime and scams, health, natural hazards and current alerts for Chicago, from US, UK and Canadian advisories, INFORM, World Bank, UCDP, CDC, GDACS, USGS and OpenStreetMap
- Editorial baseline (Travel Risk Calculator): City-level threat scoring across 9 categories (crime, health, advisory, political, disaster, transport, environmental, digital security, money safety)
Live data overlays on this page refresh asynchronously on the source cadences shown above. Run an assessment to create a trip-specific briefing using your dates and traveler profile.
Baseline scope
- Category scores represent an analytical baseline, updated from official feeds and public records.
Coverage notes
- Transport-hub safety notes (airport, train stations).
Methodology · Full data-source registry · Report a correction
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Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.