The 10 Most Dangerous Cities Right Now In Wisconsin
For most people, Wisconsin is a pretty easy place to love, and the safety numbers back that up.
The state posts violent and property crime rates that sit below the national averages, with property crime running well under the U.S. rate per 1,000 residents.
Wisconsin also lands among the safer states in the country, helped along by low traffic fatalities, and between the lakes, trails and small-town charm, it's an easy state to call home for outdoor lovers and homebodies alike.
Still, every state has its trouble spots. Most of Wisconsin's crime clusters around its largest population centers, but a recently updated study found the picture isn't quite that simple.
In fact, some of the higher-ranked cities on the list don't even crack 25,000 residents, proving that danger isn't only a big-city problem.
The Most Dangerous Cities in Wisconsin
To build the ranking, researchers analyzed 134 Wisconsin cities with more than 5,000 residents, leaning on the FBI's latest crime report for both violent crime and property crime per capita.
The data reflects 2024 figures, and scoring by rate rather than raw totals keeps small towns and big cities on equal footing. Here's the countdown from No. 10 to No. 1.
10. Ashwaubenon
A Green Bay suburb best known as home turf for Packers fans, this Brown County village of about 17,000 kicks off the list.
Ashwaubenon logged 235 violent crimes and 2,213 property crimes per 100,000 residents, ranking 27th statewide for violent crime but landing 10th overall on this list.
9. Grand Chute
Just north of the safe, shopping-friendly city of Appleton, Grand Chute averaged a little more than one violent crime per week in 2024, which isn't bad for a town of roughly 24,000.
The trouble is property crime, at about two incidents a day, which was enough to give Grand Chute the highest property crime rate in the entire state.
Known for its papermaking history and its spot along the Wisconsin River, this Wood County city of about 18,600 ranks eighth.
Despite recording no murders, Wisconsin Rapids posted 532 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, the second-highest violent-crime rate in the state, alongside 99 violent and 352 property crimes for the year.
7. Fond du Lac
Sitting at the bottom of Lake Winnebago — its name is French for "bottom of the lake" — Fond du Lac is a lakeside city of about 44,000.
It recorded 387 violent crimes and 2,104 property crimes per 100,000 residents, good for the seventh-highest violent-crime rate statewide.
6. Brown Deer
This village of roughly 12,600 sits about 20 minutes north of Milwaukee, and its numbers keep it off any list of the metro's best suburbs.
Brown Deer carried the eighth-highest property crime rate in Wisconsin, and on average a car was stolen here every other week — notable for a community this size.
5. Beloit
About an hour south of Madison near the Illinois border, Beloit is one of the few cities here to rank in the state's top ten for both violent and property crime.
The city of about 36,000 recorded 659 larcenies, 79 burglaries, and 64 stolen cars in 2024, plus the fifth-highest murder rate in Wisconsin, leaving residents with roughly a 1-in-255 chance of being violently attacked.
4. Glendale
A small Milwaukee County city known for its beer gardens and festivals, Glendale actually climbed two spots from last year.
Even so, its property crime rate ranks second-worst in the state, with residents facing about a 1-in-23 chance of having their belongings stolen or damaged, and an overall crime rate roughly three times the national average.
3. Sparta
Billed as the "Bicycling Capital of America," this Monroe County city of fewer than 10,000 lands surprisingly high at No. 3.
Sparta posted a violent crime rate of 317 per 100,000 residents — 13th-highest in the state — along with a property crime rate of 3,129, numbers that stand out for an otherwise quiet town along the La Crosse River.
2. La Crosse
Perched on the Mississippi River across the water from Minnesota, La Crosse is a longtime trade hub sitting right on Interstate 90.
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That busy crossroads comes with the crime you'd expect from a dense population center, including high rates of larceny and car theft, giving the city of about 51,000 the sixth-highest violent-crime rate statewide.
1. Milwaukee
Wisconsin's largest city takes the top spot, and it isn't especially close. Milwaukee posted 1,431 violent crimes and 2,701 property crimes per 100,000 residents, the highest murder rate in the state and a 1-in-69 chance of being the victim of a violent crime, along with the second-highest burglary rate statewide at roughly ten a day.
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As always, a single ranking never captures the whole story. Crime tends to concentrate in specific pockets, most residents never experience it, and plenty of Wisconsin communities — including the Superior and Douglas County area up north — don't crack the list at all.
Whether you're eyeing a move or just curious how your town measures up, numbers like these are a conversation starter, not a final word on any community.
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