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.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in Wisconsin.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Badger State for 2023:
- Milwaukee
- Kenosha
- Brown Deer
- Beloit
- Plover
- Oconomowoc
- Racine
- Grand Chute
- West Allis
- Madison
What city has the highest murder rate in Wisconsin? The city with the highest murder rate in Wisconsin is Milwaukee with 32.9 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 195 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Wisconsin ranked. There were ‘only’ 36 cities in Wisconsin where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 108 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
Article Table Of Contents
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Wisconsin For 2023
/10
Population: 593,337
Rank Last Year: 1
Murders: 195 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 32.9 (Most)
More on Milwaukee: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 99,588
Rank Last Year: 5
Murders: 13 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 13.1 (4th Most)
More on Kenosha: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 12,310
Rank Last Year: 16
Murders: 3 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.4 (2nd Most)
More on Brown Deer: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 36,603
Rank Last Year: 13
Murders: 4 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.9 (8th Most)
More on Beloit: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 13,360
Rank Last Year: 18
Murders: 2 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.0 (3rd Most)
More on Plover: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 17,301
Rank Last Year: 62
Murders: 2 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.6 (6th Most)
More on Oconomowoc: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 76,018
Rank Last Year: 21
Murders: 5 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.6 (14th Most)
More on Racine: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
8. Grand Chute
Population: 23,739
Rank Last Year: 50
Murders: 2 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 8.4 (11th Most)
More on Grand Chute:
/10
Population: 60,176
Rank Last Year: 33
Murders: 3 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.0 (2Most)
More on West Allis: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 266,199
Rank Last Year: 9
Murders: 10 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.8 (26th Most)
More on Madison: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
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 didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at 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 that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked 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 36 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city.
This article is an opinion based on facts. It is our tenth time ranking the most places with the most murders per capita in Wisconsin and is updated for 2023.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Wisconsin For 2023
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.
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
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Wisconsin For 2023
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee, WI | 195 |
| 2 | Kenosha, WI | 13 |
| 3 | Brown Deer, WI | 3 |
| 4 | Beloit, WI | 4 |
| 5 | Plover, WI | 2 |
| 6 | Oconomowoc, WI | 2 |
| 7 | Racine, WI | 5 |
| 8 | Grand Chute, WI | 2 |
| 9 | West Allis, WI | 3 |
| 10 | Madison, WI | 10 |
| 11 | Monona, WI | 1 |
| 12 | Wausau, WI | 2 |
| 13 | Sturgeon Bay, WI | 1 |
| 14 | Fond du Lac, WI | 2 |
| 15 | Two Rivers, WI | 1 |
| 16 | Grafton, WI | 1 |
| 17 | Green Bay, WI | 3 |
| 18 | Fort Atkinson, WI | 1 |
| 19 | Chippewa Falls, WI | 1 |
| 20 | Kaukauna, WI | 1 |
| 21 | Menomonie, WI | 1 |
| 22 | Ashwaubenon, WI | 1 |
| 23 | Everest Metropolitan, WI | 1 |
| 24 | Fox Crossing, WI | 1 |
| 25 | De Pere, WI | 1 |
| 26 | Caledonia, WI | 1 |
| 27 | Neenah, WI | 1 |
| 28 | Mount Pleasant, WI | 1 |
| 29 | Fitchburg, WI | 1 |
| 30 | Oak Creek, WI | 1 |
| 31 | Menomonee Falls, WI | 1 |
| 32 | Sheboygan, WI | 1 |
| 33 | Wauwatosa, WI | 1 |
| 34 | Janesville, WI | 1 |
| 35 | Oshkosh, WI | 1 |
| 36 | Eau Claire, WI | 1 |
