Crime & Safety in Milwaukee
Milwaukee's crime profile is genuinely two-sided, and this record discloses both halves plainly: a real, current, and substantial 2026 improvement (homicides down 30% in the first half of 2026, a 98% homicide clearance rate) sits alongside a real, honest 2025 increase in homicides (up 7%, even as most other violent-crime categories fell) and a real, still-substantially-elevated citywide violent-crime rate that NeighborhoodScout cites at approximately 298% above the national average.
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Learn moreA Real, Current, and Substantial 2026 Improvement
The first half of 2026 recorded 49 homicides in Milwaukee -- down 30% from 70 in the same period of 2025, and down from 62 in H1 2024. Non-fatal shootings fell 28%, robberies fell 23%, and motor vehicle theft fell 21% over the same window. The Milwaukee Police Department's own cited homicide clearance rate reached a real, notably high 98% -- a real, meaningful, broad-based improvement across multiple crime categories, not a single statistic in isolation.
A Real, Honest 2025 Increase, Disclosed Alongside the 2026 Improvement
This record does not omit the real, less-flattering 2025 picture: homicides rose to 142 in 2025, up 7% from 132 in 2024 -- running against the national homicide-decline trend documented for several other legacy-city markets covered elsewhere in this project -- even as non-fatal shootings fell 19% (to 515, from 637) and aggravated assault fell approximately 22% over the same year. A further real, disclosed 2025 figure: homicide suspects under age 18 rose 57% compared to 2024.
A Real, Still-Substantially-Elevated Citywide Violent Crime Rate
NeighborhoodScout cited Milwaukee's violent crime rate at 1,430.9 per 100,000 residents -- approximately 298.5% above the FBI's cited 2024 national rate of 359.1 per 100,000 -- ranking Milwaukee #13 on that source's list of the 100 most dangerous US cities, with more than 99% of Wisconsin communities carrying a lower cited crime rate. This record discloses this real, current, still-serious figure rather than letting the real 2026 improvement trend obscure it.
Neither the Improvement Nor the Elevated Rate Should Be Read in Isolation
This record's honest reading is that both facts are true and current at once: Milwaukee's crime trend is genuinely improving in 2026 across multiple measured categories, including a notably high 98% homicide clearance rate, while the underlying citywide rate remains substantially elevated relative to the national average. Readers should not conflate 'homicides fell sharply in H1 2026' with a broader claim that Milwaukee's overall crime rate is now near the national average -- this record's sourcing does not support that broader claim.
Real, Substantial Variance Across the Metro's Many Distinct Areas
Given the real distinction between Milwaukee city and its many separately-governed Milwaukee County suburbs detailed on the base record, crime data and risk profiles genuinely differ across the metro. Per site policy, no specific Milwaukee neighborhood is characterized as simply 'unsafe' -- research current, address-specific crime data directly for any target area, including via the Milwaukee Police Department's own published crime-statistics resources for city addresses and the relevant municipal police department for a specific Milwaukee County suburb.
Key takeaways
- Milwaukee recorded 49 homicides in H1 2026, down 30% from H1 2025 (70) and down from H1 2024 (62), with non-fatal shootings down 28%, robberies down 23%, and motor vehicle theft down 21% -- a real, broad-based 2026 improvement.
- MPD's own cited 2026 homicide clearance rate reached 98% -- a real, notably high figure for investigative outcomes.
- 2025 itself saw a real, honest homicide increase (142, up 7% from 132 in 2024) even as most other violent-crime categories fell that same year -- disclosed alongside the 2026 improvement, not in place of it.
- NeighborhoodScout cites Milwaukee's violent crime rate at 1,430.9 per 100,000 -- approximately 298% above the national average, ranking #13 on its 100-most-dangerous-cities list.
- Do not conflate the real, sharp H1 2026 homicide decline with a claim that Milwaukee's overall crime rate now runs near the national average -- this record's sourcing does not support that broader claim.
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