Map the Block › Places › Illinois › DeKalb County
What are the crime rate and median income in DeKalb County, Illinois?
FBI reports put DeKalb County at 2.5 violent crimes per 1,000 people a year over 2021-2025, 17% lower than the rate for Illinois (3.0). Median household income is $70,724 and the unemployment rate was 3.7% in August 2026. It is home to roughly 100,703 residents.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in DeKalb County?
Over 2021-2025, the county's police agencies sent the FBI reports of about 253 violent and 1,388 property crimes per year. That is 2.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 17% lower than the Illinois rate (3.0), and 33% lower than the U.S. rate (3.7). For property crime the county rate is 13.5 per 1,000 (Illinois: 16.0; U.S.: 18.1). Most violent crimes here are aggravated assaults (58%). CDC death records show about 3 homicide deaths a year in the county (2.5 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | DeKalb County | Per 1,000 | Illinois per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 253 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 3 | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 78 | 0.76 | 0.47 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 24 | 0.23 | 0.86 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 148 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 1,388 | 13.5 | 16.0 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 136 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 1,186 | 11.6 | 11.2 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 66 | 0.64 | 2.7 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (12 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in DeKalb County?
The median household in DeKalb County earns $70,724 a year, 15% lower than the Illinois median ($83,390). The typical owner-occupied home is valued at $243,600 by its owners; renters pay a median $1,049. 14.7% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 13.8%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.7% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,942 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | DeKalb County | Illinois | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 100,703 | 12,694,798 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $70,724 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $243,600 | $263,300 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,049 | $1,274 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 6.8% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 14.8% | 11.8% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 14.7% | 13.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 33.0% | 37.8% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 61.4% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 32.7 | 39.0 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 92.7% | 90.8% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 5.1% | 6.9% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in DeKalb County?
DeKalb County carries a “Relatively Low” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in DeKalb County, active or completed (October 2026).
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 3 high-hazard dams in DeKalb County. Tallest on the list: Cortland Water Reclamation Facility Cell 3 Dam (17 ft) and Cortland Water Reclamation Facility Cell 4 Dam (17 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
16 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 86,704 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
No federal major disaster declaration covered DeKalb County from 2016 through 2025 (COVID-19 excluded). Of 20 community water systems, 1 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 1 (highest). NHTSA counted 9 traffic deaths in the county in 2024.
Is there road construction in DeKalb County?
The state DOT feed had no interstate, U.S. or state highway work zones in DeKalb County on October 11, 2026. Some states publish only part of their road work in open feeds, so check the state's 511 site before you travel. The map's layer refreshes every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in DeKalb County?
DeKalb County has 43 public schools (2024-25) and 4 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 7 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 17 fire or EMS stations and 12 police or sheriff stations. 1 state park or recreation area: Shabbona Lake State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in DeKalb County
Gun shops
2 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in DeKalb County, plus 3 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). On the ATF list: C O P S INC (Sycamore) and Carters Gun Shop INC (Shabbona).
Liquor stores
10 liquor stores are on the map in DeKalb County: American Liquors (DeKalb), Bacaba Inc (Sandwich), County Liquors (Sycamore), Dekalb Liquor (Dekalb), Dekalb Liquor Mart (Dekalb), Discount Liquors (Dekalb), Jay's Liquor (Sandwich), Liquor 'n' Wine (Genoa) and 2 more. Illinois has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in DeKalb County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in DeKalb County?
DeKalb County averaged 253 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 2.5 per 1,000 residents, 17% lower than the Illinois rate (3.0). The property-crime rate was 13.5 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in DeKalb County?
$70,724 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $83,390 for Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in DeKalb County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.7% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,942 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect DeKalb County?
DeKalb County carries a “Relatively Low” overall rating in FEMA's National Risk Index. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”.
Is there road construction in DeKalb County right now?
The state DOT feed had no interstate, U.S. or state highway work zones in DeKalb County on October 11, 2026. Some states publish only part of their road work in open feeds, so check the state's 511 site before you travel.
How many nursing homes are in DeKalb County?
7 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does DeKalb County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County | 53,230 | 1.2 | $84,571 |
| Kane County | 517,255 | 1.7 | $103,163 |
| Kendall County | 137,675 | 1.0 | $111,601 |
| LaSalle County | 108,714 | 1.4 | $73,045 |
| Lee County | 33,869 | 1.1 | $70,292 |
| McHenry County | 312,591 | 0.67 | $104,802 |
| Ogle County | 51,495 | 0.91 | $82,132 |
| Winnebago County | 283,292 | 7.3 | $65,837 |
More: Illinois statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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