Chester No. 7, Pinckneyville No. 8 on the new Illinois' safest cities list

Chester ranks No. 7 and Pinckneyville No. 8 in Safewise's latest list of safest Illinois cities. Du Quoin didn't make the Top 50 list. The criteria is the FBI's database of violent and property crimes per capita for each 1,000 population.

At the top of the list is Round Lake Park, Ill.

There's nothing more important than the safety and security of your home and loved ones.

To make the list, a city had to have a population of over 5,000. Safewise analyzes the number of violent crimes (aggravated assault, forcible rape, murder, robbery) and property crimes (arson, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft) and then calculate the chance of these crimes happening out of 1,000 in order to level the playing field for the different populations of each city.

Here is Safewise's profiled of Chester and Pinckneyville:

7. Chester

Ranking seven on the list is a town that's not only safe, but the home of Popeye the Sailor Man, as commemorated by a six-foot, 900-pound bronze statue of the spinach-loving sailor standing guard in a park named for the creator of the cartoon, Elzie Segar.

Chester may be crazy about its most popular "resident" but that hasn't kept this town from achieving a safety record that makes the odds of becoming a victim of violent crime only one in 1,000. And it's a good thing that Chester makes security a top priority, because hundreds of visitors descend on the town each year for the Popeye Picnic and Parade, a three-day celebration of Popeye and his pals. Thanks to the efforts of the Chester Police Department, revelers can partake in rides, music and all the local food they can eat without worrying for their personal safety.

Violent Crimes Per 1,000: 1.05

Property Crimes Per 1,000: 4.088. Pinckneyville

Pinckneyville No. 8

Pinckneyville is "the Friendly Little City" that sits in Perry County, Illinois and there isn't a more wholesome place to live. Named after early American diplomat Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, this city has a strong athletic reputation in high school sports, with the Pinckneyville Community High School basketball team winning over 1,500 games and appearing in the State Finals Tournament 11 times, winning three times.

Besides basketball, Pinckneyville also has community and school softball, baseball and football teams that residents are encouraged to join. Even Hubert Shurtz, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has found a home in Pinckneyville. With so much valuable athletic talent, it's no wonder Pinckneyville is committed to keeping all of its assets safe and sound.

Violent Crimes Per 1,000: 1.77

Property Crimes Per 1,000: 4.08