Milwaukee Wisconsin

Milwaukee has one of the highest homicide rates among large American cities, driven primarily by violence on the city's north side — an area shaped by decades of industrial job loss, housing segregation, and limited access to social services. Wisconsin's permitless carry law has contributed to the proliferation of firearms in the city, where gun-related homicides account for the vast majority of killings. Milwaukee gained national attention with the 2020 murder of Prentiss McNeil by a man who had been released from parole just weeks earlier, and the 2023 case of a 12-year-old boy shot while sitting in a parked car. The city's homicide unit has struggled with staffing shortages, contributing to a clearance rate that leaves most victims' families without answers. The Murder Channel tracks Milwaukee homicides through FBI UCR data.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin has recorded 30 homicides over the tracked period, with 35 victims identified.. The city ranks #130 among 339 U.S. cities tracked by the FBI, with a clearance rate of 23% — meaning an arrest or suspect identification was made in 7 of those incidents.

Detailed weapon and circumstance data continues to be analyzed by law enforcement agencies in the area.

Milwaukee's homicide rate is 61% below the average for tracked U.S. cities, based on FBI UCR data. 16 cases remain under investigation. See also our Wisconsin state homicide data page for broader context. The Milwaukee metropolitan area continues to be monitored as part of the national homicide tracking effort.