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Wisconsin’s 20 Safest Cities of 2021

Researcher & Writer

Published on March 15, 2021

The SafeWise Team is pleased to release the seventh annual Safest Cities report.

Here are the 10 safest cities in Wisconsin for 2021

1. Waterford Town
2. Muskego
3. Oconomowoc Town
4. Cedarburg
5. Waupun
6. Grand Rapids
7. Cottage Grove
8. Geneva Town
9. Edgerton
10. Whitefish Bay

See if your city made the full list.

Wisconsinites don’t spend a lot of time worrying about crime and safety. The Badger State boasts lower crime rates than the national average, and its safest cities enjoy some of the lowest reported crime numbers in the country.

2021 Wisconsin crime rates

Wisconsin’s violent crime rate is 22% below the national rate of 3.7 incidents per 1,000 people. The Badger State is tied with Ohio for the lowest violent crime rate in the region and also claims the lowest regional property crime rate.

The property crime rate in Wisconsin is 30% lower than the national rate—14.7 incidents per 1,000 people, compared to 21.1 nationwide. Both violent and property crime have been on the decline for the last three years.

Level of concern and experience with crime in Wisconsin

Wisconsin matches the national average when it comes to daily concern about crime and safety, but when it comes to specific crime issues, Wisconsin is less concerned about every issue except gun violence.

Nearly 8 in 10 Wisconsinites think crime is rising, despite violent and property crime experiences dropping 22% and 37% respectively.

Even though Wisconsin is on par with the national level of daily concern (47%), year over year the state saw a jump of 15%—from 41% to 47%. And fewer Wisconsin respondents say they feel safe in their state (48% compared to 55% nationwide). Surprisingly, this climb in concern coincides with lower crime rates and fewer reports of personal experiences with crime.

Violent crime experiences are four percentage points ahead of the national average, but four points behind what the state reported last year. There was a 10-point dip in property crime experiences this year, putting Wisconsin just under the national reporting average of 18%.

Crime concerns in Wisconsin

We asked Wisconsin residents which crimes they worry may happen to them. See if Wisconsinites are concerned about the same crime issues as the rest of the country.

View the complete 2021 State of Safety report.

Violent crime in Wisconsin: Fear vs. reality

Violent crime decreased for the third consecutive year, and only 35% of Wisconsin survey respondents say they’re worried about falling victim to a violent crime.

Wisconsin’s violent crime rate has fallen 9% since 2019.
Aggravated assault is the most common violent crime in America and in Wisconsin, making up 68% of all reported violent crimes in the US, the state, and its safest cities.
Murder is more prevalent in Wisconsin’s safest cities than in the rest of the state. Homicide made up 4% of all violent crime in the safest cities, but just 1% of all violent crime statewide.
Robbery is the least-common violent crime among the safest cities, with only 1 reported.
39% of survey respondents worry most about a gun violence incident happening to them (US 38%).
Wisconsin had 10 mass shooting incidents in 2020—7 more than the previous year.
Officer-involved shootings decreased year over year, from 34 to 32.
37% worry about police violence daily (US 40%) and 58% have confidence in law enforcement (US 56%).
22% use a personal safety device like a stun gun or pepper spray (US 34%).
48% say their personal safety has been affected by the pandemic (US 44%).

Property crime in Wisconsin: Fear vs. reality

Property crime in Wisconsin has been on the decline for the past three years. And even though property crime is the most-concerning crime issue, Wisconsinites’s level of concern is one percentage point lower than the national average of 42%.

Since 2019, the property crime rate has dropped 19%.
Wisconsin’s property crime rate is 30% below the national average of 21.1.
Burglaries are less common in Wisconsin, making up 15% of all property crime compared to 16% nationwide. In the safest cities that percentage drops to 9%.
Larceny-theft is the most prevalent property crime in Wisconsin, making up 77% of all property crime compared to 73% nationwide.
19% reported a package theft in the past 12 months, just 1 percentage point behind the national average of 20%.
50% of survey respondents use some form of property protection (US 62%) with security cams leading the way at 24%.
28% say the security of their property has been affected by the pandemic (US 29%).

A closer look at the safest cities in Wisconsin

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

162 cities met criteria to be considered for ranking.
Waterford Town is the new safest city in Wisconsin, topping the list with 0 reported violent crimes, and just 24 reported property crimes.
No city reported more than 10 total violent crimes. Hobart-Lawrence had the most with only 8.
4 cities reported just 1 violent crime: Edgerton, Campbell Township, Berlin, and Saukville.
The violent crime rate among the safest cities is a mere 0.3 incidents per 1,000 people—90% below the statewide rate of 2.9.
Mukwonago Town reported the lowest number of property crimes with only 5 incidents.
Whitefish Bay reported the most property crimes (145) but had the fourth-highest property crime rate per capita.
The average property crime rate among the safest cities is 6.4 incidents per 1,000—56% below the statewide rate of 14.7.

The 20 Safest Cities in Wisconsin

Waterford Town

(

NEW

)

Population

6,505
Median Income

$79,340
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.0, N/A, N/A
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.7, N/A, N/A

Muskego

(

)

Population

25,224
Median Income

$89,512
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.2, 0.4, 0.2
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.4, 5.7, 7.7

Oconomowoc Town

(

-2

)

Population

8,741
Median Income

$89,932
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.3, 0.1, 0.3
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

1.9, 1.2, 1.5

Cedarburg

(

)

Population

11,548
Median Income

$85,077
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.2, 0.3, 0.1
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

7.7, 4.7, 6.2

Waupun

(

+35

)

Population

11,315
Median Income

$52,649
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.3, 1.1, 0.8
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

5.5, 8.2, 7.1

Grand Rapids

(

)

Population

7,405
Median Income

$73,208
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.4, 0.3, 0.0
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.0, 6.6, 5.7

Cottage Grove

(

)

Population

7,203
Median Income

$84,643
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.4, 0.9, 1.0
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.1, 3.0, 5.2

Geneva Town

(

-4

)

Population

5,045
Median Income

$55,156
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.4, 0.0, 0.2
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

3.8, 4.6, 5.5

Edgerton

(

+14

)

Population

5,646
Median Income

$60,208
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.2, N/A, 1.1
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

9.9, N/A, 20.3

#10

Whitefish Bay

(

+43

)

Population

13,816
Median Income

$102,576
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.2, 0.7, 0.4
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

10.5, 13.7, 14.0

#11

Campbell Township

(

+18

)

Population

4,337
Median Income

$56,786
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.2, 0.7, 0.9
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

10.1, 8.5, 12.6

#12

Hobart-Lawrence

(

-5

)

Population

15,460
Median Income

$86,481
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.5, N/A, 0.5
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

2.8, N/A, 3.7

#13

Mukwonago Town

(

-11

)

Population

8,167
Median Income

Unavailable
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.6, 0.4, 0.6
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.6, 0.9, 1.5

#14

Sheboygan Falls

(

)

Population

7,947
Median Income

$52,969
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.4, 0.3, 0.1
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

7.4, 9.7, 6.3

#15

Berlin

(

+34

)

Population

5,401
Median Income

$45,123
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.2, 0.6, 0.4
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

12.6, 13.4, 17.1

#16

Colby-Abbotsford

(

+20

)

Population

4,152
Median Income

$38,750
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.5, 1.5, 0.0
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

6.0, 4.4, 7.1

#17

Kewaskum

(

-6

)

Population

4,244
Median Income

$67,222
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.5, 0.2, 0.2
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

6.4, 7.0, 12.4

#18

Saukville

(

+15

)

Population

4,428
Median Income

$74,861
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.2, 0.5, 0.2
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

13.1, 11.3, 16.8

#19

McFarland

(

+26

)

Population

8,961
Median Income

$70,750
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.6, 1.1, 1.2
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

5.8, 9.6, 10.9

#20

Muckwonago

(

+44

)

Population

8,144
Median Income

$97,658
VC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

0.4, 0.7, 0.6
PC Rate 2021, 2020, 2019

10.9, 14.2, 17.5

How we determined the safest cities

Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.

How to make a safe home anywhere

Whether your city made our list or not, we encourage everyone to be proactive about home security. Learn more about your home security options—and find out which companies we recommend for every budget and lifestyle in our roundup of the Best Home Security Systems.

Didn't find your city in the top 20?

We calculated crime rates for every city in the state that met our population threshold, based on the state’s median population. See how the remaining cities ranked in the list below.

NOTE: If you don’t see your city on the list, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2019.

2021 Rank	City	Population	VC per 1,000	PC per 1,000
21	Fox Point	6.60K	0.5	9.2
22	Sturgeon Bay	8.94K	0.4	10.4
23	Burlington	11.06K	0.5	7.9
24	Bayside	4.34K	0.7	3.9
25	Mequon	24.55K	0.6	7.2
26	New Berlin	39.75K	0.5	11.4
27	Sturtevant	6.65K	0.8	4.8
28	Oregon	10.68K	0.7	5.0
29	Elm Grove	6.20K	0.6	7.7
30	Caledonia	25.12K	0.8	5.1
31	Oconomowoc	16.98K	0.8	7.4
32	Kronenwetter	8.10K	0.9	4.9
33	Mount Horeb	7.48K	0.9	3.1
34	Delafield	7.61K	0.5	14.2
35	Plymouth	8.77K	0.6	13.0
36	Menomonee Falls	37.94K	0.7	8.7
37	Town of East Troy	4.06K	1.0	2.2
38	Middleton	20.07K	0.6	13.4
39	Monroe	10.54K	0.7	11.7
40	Kaukauna	16.34K	0.9	6.7
41	De Pere	25.16K	0.8	8.6
42	Cross Plains	4.35K	0.9	5.3
43	Grafton	11.80K	0.7	12.0
44	Pewaukee Village	8.19K	0.7	10.6
45	Hartland	9.37K	1.0	4.9
46	Reedsburg	9.55K	0.5	16.6
47	Viroqua	4.41K	0.7	12.9
48	Hartford	15.46K	0.6	14.2
49	Sauk Prairie	4.63K	0.9	9.7
50	River Falls	16.07K	0.8	11.7
51	Holmen	10.22K	0.9	9.8
52	Prairie du Chien	5.64K	0.7	14.5
53	Hales Corners	7.58K	0.8	12.4
54	West Salem	5.09K	1.0	7.5
55	Deforest	10.77K	0.9	9.0
56	Fox Valley Metro	22.19K	1.1	3.9
57	Waukesha	72.72K	0.9	9.5
58	Franklin	35.88K	0.7	16.1
59	Mosinee	4.07K	1.0	9.6
60	Slinger	5.53K	0.9	11.8
61	Greendale	14.06K	0.9	11.4
62	Pleasant Prairie	21.07K	0.6	19.9
63	Waunakee	14.16K	1.1	9.5
64	Brookfield	38.88K	0.8	17.8
65	Sun Prairie	34.56K	1.0	14.4
66	Beloit Town	7.71K	0.9	16.3
67	Elkhorn	9.99K	1.2	9.5
68	Brookfield Township	6.28K	1.0	16.2
69	Onalaska	18.83K	0.5	27.7
70	North Fond du Lac	5.10K	1.4	5.7
71	New London	7.12K	1.0	17.0
72	Fox Crossing	18.99K	1.3	8.4
73	Germantown	19.98K	0.8	22.5
74	Altoona	7.94K	1.1	13.7
75	Delavan Town	5.34K	1.5	4.1
76	Rothschild	5.27K	1.3	9.7
77	Marinette	10.57K	1.0	17.4
78	Jefferson	8.04K	1.1	16.0
79	Jackson	7.22K	1.2	13.2
80	Lake Mills	5.95K	1.7	2.5
81	Bloomfield	6.34K	1.6	5.5
82	Lake Geneva	8.0K	1.1	18.4
83	Marshall Village	3.97K	1.5	8.3
84	Oak Creek	36.68K	1.1	19.7
85	East Troy	4.33K	1.6	5.8
86	Verona	13.51K	1.3	14.0
87	Sparta	9.82K	1.5	8.9
88	Milton	5.62K	1.4	12.3
89	St. Francis	9.53K	1.5	12.4
90	Prescott	4.28K	1.6	9.6
91	Cudahy	18.16K	1.6	11.3
92	South Milwaukee	20.73K	1.4	16.7
93	Mayville	4.86K	1.6	10.9
94	Plover	13.16K	1.5	15.0
95	Shorewood	13.22K	1.5	15.9
96	Waupaca	5.87K	1.4	21.1
97	Dodgeville	4.71K	1.3	24.2
98	Neenah	26.13K	1.7	12.6
99	Wauwatosa	48.56K	1.2	27.4
100	Portage	10.45K	1.6	15.7
101	Mount Pleasant	27.07K	1.5	19.8
102	Marshfield	18.22K	1.6	17.1
103	Beaver Dam	16.38K	1.6	15.9
104	Ashwaubenon	17.31K	1.2	27.6
105	Ripon	7.82K	1.9	8.7
106	Merrill	9.02K	1.6	18.7
107	Platteville	12.12K	1.6	19.0
108	Columbus	5.09K	2.0	10.4
109	Rhinelander	7.62K	1.7	17.5
110	Hudson	14.07K	1.4	27.1
111	Watertown	23.60K	2.0	10.2
112	Minocqua	4.41K	2.0	9.3
113	Whitewater	15.0K	2.1	10.6
114	Stevens Point	26.10K	2.1	10.0
115	Delavan	9.89K	1.7	21.4
116	Fort Atkinson	12.52K	2.1	14.2
117	Richland Center	4.92K	2.2	11.2
118	Greenfield	37.39K	1.7	25.3
119	Lake Hallie	6.72K	1.8	23.6
120	Port Washington	11.91K	2.4	7.4
121	West Bend	31.64K	2.1	16.2
122	Wisconsin Rapids	17.61K	1.6	31.2
123	Menomonie	16.57K	2.2	16.9
124	Stoughton	13.11K	2.3	14.5
125	New Richmond	9.27K	2.4	12.4
126	Summit	4.94K	2.6	6.5
127	Two Rivers	11.03K	2.5	10.6
128	Manitowoc	32.50K	2.2	19.4
129	Twin Lakes	6.16K	2.8	6.3
130	Town of Madison	6.93K	2.3	20.6
131	Menasha	17.81K	2.7	13.4
132	Janesville	64.69K	2.3	24.4
133	Appleton	74.76K	2.8	14.4
134	Baraboo	12.15K	2.3	28.4
135	Oshkosh	66.80K	2.8	16.0
136	Tomah	9.41K	2.8	20.3
137	Eau Claire	69.20K	2.8	23.6
138	Fitchburg	30.85K	3.0	17.1
139	Kenosha	100.26K	3.1	15.8
140	Oconto	4.52K	3.1	15.9
141	La Crosse	51.59K	2.4	35.9
142	Rice Lake	8.37K	2.5	33.9
143	Fond du Lac	42.95K	3.1	18.6
144	Medford	4.31K	3.2	18.8
145	Chippewa Falls	14.24K	3.5	12.6
146	Monona	8.11K	1.1	77.0
147	Grand Chute	23.45K	2.9	31.3
148	Sheboygan	48.04K	3.6	16.3
149	Racine	77.27K	3.8	12.8
150	Mauston	4.36K	3.2	28.9
151	Superior	25.97K	2.8	42.4
152	Glendale	12.79K	2.6	51.7
153	Madison	261.27K	3.6	24.7
154	Wausau	38.51K	4.1	13.5
155	Ashland	7.86K	3.2	37.0
156	West Allis	59.30K	3.6	28.4
157	Brown Deer	11.87K	3.4	38.0
158	Everest Metropolitan	17.34K	4.4	11.6
159	Beloit	37.03K	4.2	30.1
160	Green Bay	104.99K	5.0	16.4
161	Milwaukee	590.92K	13.3	25.5
162	West Milwaukee	4.11K	7.3	357.2

Find the safest cities in each state

Click on the state image or dropdown menu below to check out the safest cities for each state.

Calvin Wise Tips

Wednesday, March 17, 2021