Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Wisconsin?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Wisconsin with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 35 cities in the Badger State with over 8,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Wisconsin
What city has the highest murder rate in Wisconsin? The city with the highest murder rate in Wisconsin is Milwaukee with 38.1 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Wisconsin with highest number of murders? The city in Wisconsin with the highest number of murders is Milwaukee with 214 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Wisconsin ranked. There were ‘only’ 35 cities in Wisconsin where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 112 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Badger State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Wisconsin
- Cheapest Places To Live In Wisconsin
- Most Dangerous Cities In Wisconsin
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Wisconsin For 2024
/10
Population: 561,743
Murders: 214 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 38.1 (Most)
More on Milwaukee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Population: 10,869
Murders: 4 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 36.8 (2nd Most)
More on Deforest: Data | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 9,644
Murders: 3 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 31.1 (3rd Most)
More on Hartland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 8,530
Murders: 2 (13th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 23.4 (4th Most)
More on Kronenwetter: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 14,832
Murders: 3 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.2 (5th Most)
More on Chippewa Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 10,610
Murders: 2 (13th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.9 (6th Most)
More on New Richmond: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 12,817
Murders: 2 (13th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.6 (7th Most)
More on Brown Deer: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 8,140
Murders: 1 (25th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.3 (8th Most)
More on Sheboygan Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 8,631
Murders: 1 (25th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.6 (9th Most)
More on Lake Geneva: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 9,320
Murders: 1 (25th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.7 (10th Most)
More on Altoona: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Wisconsin
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Wisconsin for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 35 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Milwaukee. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Wisconsin. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Wisconsin For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Wisconsin with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Wisconsin are Milwaukee, Deforest, Hartland, Kronenwetter, Chippewa Falls, New Richmond, Brown Deer, Sheboygan Falls, Lake Geneva, and Altoona.
For more Wisconsin reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Wisconsin
- Fastest Growing Cities In Wisconsin
- Safest Places In Wisconsin
- Best Cities For Singles In Wisconsin
- Worst Places To Live In Wisconsin
Murder Rates By City In Wisconsin
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee, WI | 561743 | 214 | 38.1 |
| 2 | Deforest, WI | 10869 | 4 | 36.8 |
| 3 | Hartland, WI | 9644 | 3 | 31.11 |
| 4 | Kronenwetter, WI | 8530 | 2 | 23.45 |
| 5 | Chippewa Falls, WI | 14832 | 3 | 20.23 |
| 6 | New Richmond, WI | 10610 | 2 | 18.85 |
| 7 | Brown Deer, WI | 12817 | 2 | 15.6 |
| 8 | Sheboygan Falls, WI | 8140 | 1 | 12.29 |
| 9 | Lake Geneva, WI | 8631 | 1 | 11.59 |
| 10 | Altoona, WI | 9320 | 1 | 10.73 |
| 11 | Merrill, WI | 9341 | 1 | 10.71 |
| 12 | Sparta, WI | 9901 | 1 | 10.1 |
| 13 | South Milwaukee, WI | 20247 | 2 | 9.88 |
| 14 | Monroe, WI | 10461 | 1 | 9.56 |
| 15 | Marinette, WI | 11015 | 1 | 9.08 |
| 16 | Fond du Lac, WI | 44613 | 4 | 8.97 |
| 17 | Platteville, WI | 11771 | 1 | 8.5 |
| 18 | Beloit, WI | 36784 | 3 | 8.16 |
| 19 | Kenosha, WI | 98841 | 7 | 7.08 |
| 20 | Whitefish Bay, WI | 14549 | 1 | 6.87 |
| 21 | Racine, WI | 76679 | 5 | 6.52 |
| 22 | Hudson, WI | 15571 | 1 | 6.42 |
| 23 | Beaver Dam, WI | 16656 | 1 | 6.0 |
| 24 | La Crosse, WI | 51727 | 3 | 5.8 |
| 25 | Kaukauna, WI | 17288 | 1 | 5.78 |
| 26 | Green Bay, WI | 106916 | 6 | 5.61 |
| 27 | Greenfield, WI | 36924 | 1 | 2.71 |
| 28 | Menomonee Falls, WI | 39312 | 1 | 2.54 |
| 29 | Madison, WI | 269546 | 6 | 2.23 |
| 30 | West Allis, WI | 58681 | 1 | 1.7 |
| 31 | Janesville, WI | 66242 | 1 | 1.51 |
| 32 | Oshkosh, WI | 66521 | 1 | 1.5 |
| 33 | Eau Claire, WI | 69569 | 1 | 1.44 |
| 34 | Waukesha, WI | 71147 | 1 | 1.41 |
| 35 | Appleton, WI | 74411 | 1 | 1.34 |