Fact check: What are the most common types of crimes committed in Chicago in the last 5 years?

1. Why the headlines focus on violent crime — numbers, trends and what they mean for Chicago readers

Official and media reports through mid- to late‑2025 emphasize that violent crime has declined from recent highs: city statements and national studies cite drops in homicides and shootings of roughly a quarter or more compared with earlier years, and FBI summaries show decreases in murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault nationwide including Chicago ^{[1] [2] [3]}. These sources converge on a downward trajectory from the post‑2019 spike, which shapes public perception; however, analysts note the cause of decline remains debated, with researchers and officials offering varying explanations without consensus ^[2]. The framing around “decline” helps explain why violent crime dominates policy and civic debate despite remaining pockets of high violence in some neighborhoods ^{[1] [7]}.

2. Homicides: high absolute counts but lower rates than some peers — context matters

Reporting through September 2025 shows Chicago continues to register a large number of homicides in absolute terms, leading the nation among most populous cities for sheer counts across many years, but its homicide rate is not the highest when adjusted per capita compared with smaller cities like Memphis or New Orleans, according to comparative analyses ^{[6] [7]}. The distinction between raw counts and rates matters for policy and perception: large population places Chicago higher in totals while per‑capita comparisons can shift ranking. Recent data also documents a downward trend in murders since around 2022, which tempers alarm but does not erase the disproportionate impact on specific neighborhoods ^{[2] [7]}.

3. Street crime and public-facing incidents: carjackings, robberies, and retail smash-and-grabs shaping daily life

Beyond homicides, carjackings, street robberies and organized retail theft are repeatedly documented in local coverage and prosecutions, with episodes like the Magnificent Mile smash‑and‑grab that stole hundreds of thousands in merchandise becoming emblematic of public fear and economic loss ^{[5] [8]}. These incidents often generate intense local reaction because they occur in business districts or transit corridors, prompting arrests and charges that spotlight organized, opportunistic property crime. City leaders and stores cite these events to argue for targeted enforcement and security investments even as overall violent crime falls ^{[5] [8]}.

4. Financial and cyber-enabled crime: card skimming and identity theft are rising enforcement priorities

Recent federal and state prosecutions highlight financial crimes such as card skimming, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, with a 2025 sentencing tied to a skimming scheme that stole more than $175,000 across Illinois and New Jersey ^[4]. These cases underscore a trend toward technologically enabled property crime that can cross jurisdictions and require coordinated forensic and prosecutorial responses. While not as immediately visible as shootings, financial crimes generate substantial losses for businesses and consumers and have prompted law enforcement and retailers to invest in ATM/store hardening, surveillance, and cross‑jurisdiction task forces ^[4].

5. Vulnerable victims and violent domestic crimes: a quieter but critical part of the picture

Coverage of individual tragedies, such as the homicide of an infant in Englewood attributed to child abuse, indicates domestic violence and child abuse remain important but less visible categories of violent crime that may not always drive headline trends yet significantly affect community safety and social services workloads ^[9]. These cases often spur calls for improved social‑service interventions and child‑protection coordination, highlighting that aggregate crime declines can obscure severe harms concentrated within households. Public policy responses vary between criminal enforcement and preventive social programs, reflecting differing views on long‑term risk reduction ^[9].

6. How officials and researchers disagree on causes and policy responses — competing agendas shape coverage

Analysts and city officials agree on falling violent crime counts through 2025, but they disagree on why: some credit policing strategies and new technology, while researchers emphasize broader national trends and complex socioeconomic factors ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Local media coverage sometimes highlights individual high‑profile incidents to argue for tougher enforcement; advocacy groups and some researchers point to investment in prevention and community services. These competing narratives affect funding and legislative proposals, and readers should note the potential agendas when interpreting claims about causation and effective remedies ^{[1] [2]}.

7. Bottom line: common crimes, remaining risks, and what to watch next

Summing the last five years through 2025, the most common and consequential categories in Chicago are violent crimes (homicide, shootings, robbery, aggravated assault), property and public‑space crimes (carjackings, retail theft, burglaries), and growing financial/fraud offenses (card skimming, identity theft); trends show a meaningful decline in many violent‑crime counts but persistent hotspots and high absolute homicide totals among large U.S. cities ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}. Future attention should track monthly FBI and CPD statistics, prosecution outcomes for organized theft and fraud, and service‑oriented interventions for domestic violence and child abuse to understand whether declines sustain and broaden across neighborhoods ^{[3] [4] [9]}.