Analysis of FBI crime data shows Milwaukee is the 6th most dangerous big city in America

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee moved up a spot in SafeWise's annual "10 Safest and Most Dangerous Metro Cities in America" report released on Tuesday, April 23. According to the report, which was based on an analysis of FBI crime data, Milwaukee is the sixth most dangerous big city in the United States.

Most/least dangerous cities

According to a news release from SafeWise, to identify the safest and most dangerous big cities in the country, FBI crime report statistics and population data for 2017 (the most recent year for which data was available) was analyzed, with a population threshold set at 300,000 and higher. Cities that fell below that threshold were excluded, along with cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.

Cities were ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) in each city. If there was a tie, SafeWise also factored in the number of property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). To level the playing field, SafeWise calculated the rate of crimes per 1,000 people in each city.

Experts continue to debate the precise causes of violent crime, but there are a few factors that pop up consistently. SafeWise compared wealth distribution, high school graduation rates, the median age, and ethnic diversity to see if there were any trends that could explain why the most dangerous cities are so crime-ridden. The biggest differences between the safest and most dangerous cities were found to be median household income and poverty rates.

The report showed Wisconsin's population at 595,168, a violent crime rate per 1,000 at 15.97 and a median income of $38,289.

State of Safety report

For the first time this year, SafeWise also released a national State of Safety report -- examining the attitudes and concerns of 5,000 United States residents about safety across six categories -- from concerns about violent and property crime to environmental and workplace safety.

The State of Safety report showed the biggest safety concern in Wisconsin was reported to be digital security. 18% of respondents said they recently experienced it, with 52% indicating it's their biggest concern.

Violent crime is the second biggest concern in Wisconsin, followed by property crime.

40% of respondents said they're worried about getting robbed on the street. 31% said they fear being assaulted by a stranger. 30% said they're concerned about being murdered by a stranger. 26% said they're worried about being sexually assaulted by a stranger.

SafeWise identified the three safest cities in Wisconsin as: