By Madhu Mayer
The City of Joliet has a reason to celebrate.
The MoneyGeek Web site has named Joliet one of the safest cities in the United States. Naperville topped the list, with Joliet coming in at 8th rank. Among the other cities in Illinois to make the list were Aurora, Elgin, Springfield, and Rockford. Towns in Texas, California, Idaho, and Utah were among those who made the prestigious list.
The online personal finance data company relied on FBI crime statistics along with academic research on the costs of different types of crimes to quantify the cost of crime in 660 cities and towns across the country with populations greater than 100,000. Data on violent crimes such as murder, rape and aggravated assault are included, as well as property crimes such as burglaries and car thefts.
Naperville retained its top ranking as the safest community overall with a crime cost per capita of $156. Joliet’s crime cost per capita was $247, with a violent crime rate of 168 per 100,000 residents. The property crime rate reported was 372 per 100,000 residents.
Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said the city’s violent crime dropped slightly in 2022 as officers investigated seven homicides, which was an increase by two from the previous year. In 2020, Joliet had 15 homicides and recorded 19 murders the previous year. He said violent crimes declined by two percent last year, as it went down to 692 from the 706 reported in 2021.
While Naperville and Joliet were touted for being safe communities, the city with the distinction of being the most dangerous for the second straight year was St. Louis, with the highest per capita crime cost of $8,457. MoneyGeek reports that people who live in high crime areas see lower property values and pay higher prices for home, renters, and auto insurances.
Mary Watts, who lives on the east side of Joliet, said her community often is unfairly looked down by other communities in Will County.
“People think we have a high crime rate, but from what I see, we have neighbors who help each other out and we are working so hard to make this a place for families,” said Watts. “It is always nice when you see younger families move into the neighborhood because it is their chance to make a better life for them and their children. This is quite a nice honor for Joliet.”
