FBI UCR Homicide Data — 27 recorded incidents
Niles, Illinois has recorded 27 homicides over the tracked period, with 32 victims identified. Tracking continues through 2026. The city ranks #139 among 339 U.S. cities tracked by the FBI, with a clearance rate of 22% — meaning an arrest or suspect identification was made in 6 of those incidents, while 11 remain open. The weapon mix skews toward firearm - handguns (roughly 41% of cases with weapon data), with firearm - type unknown, firearm - rifle, personal weapons (hands, fists, feet) as the next-most-frequent categories. Reporting is dominated by Niles Police Department, which filed 27 incident reports. The annual homicide count runs 71% below the per-city average for the FBI's tracking universe. Illinois's statewide firearms policy — a Firearm Owners Identification card requirement — is part of the regulatory backdrop for the local dynamic, even as the city-level pattern is shaped most directly by community-level conditions and the broader opioid and fentanyl crisis. For broader statewide context, see our Illinois state homicide data page. The Murder Channel's Illinois coverage provides ongoing context for this city's homicide patterns as new FBI UCR reports are released.