Trump called Milwaukee a 'horrible city,' reportedly due to crime rates. What city crime data shows.
Donald Trump told House Republicans Thursday that Milwaukee, the site of the Republican National Convention, is a "horrible city."
While Republican leaders had varying accounts of what his comment meant, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Trump was talking about crime and election issues.
Trump has touted false claims of election fraud within Milwaukee after losing Wisconsin in the 2020 election. He has also criticized Chicago, San Francisco and New York City for high crime rates. Those jabs are part of a larger conservative narrative that the country is devolving into crime, even though FBI statistics indicate a decline in killings.
Is Milwaukee actually a dangerous city? Here's what to know about crime rates in the Midwestern city:
More: FBI data shows America is seeing a 'considerable' drop in crime. Trump says the opposite.
What recent Milwaukee crime data shows
Milwaukee is a city of more than 570,000 people and the largest in Wisconsin.
Statewide crime data from 2022 compiled by the FBI shows Wisconsin falls below the national average rates, with 297 violent offenses per 100,000 compared to 380.7 in the U.S. at large.
The data includes reports voluntarily handed over by various law enforcement agencies.
The Milwaukee Police Department reported 8,474 violent crimes in 2022. The South Milwaukee Police Department, the West Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office also reported to the FBI with fewer than 100 offenses each.
Experts told Wisconsin Watch it is difficult to compare between cities and the national average, which includes suburbs and rural areas. The FBI dashboard only includes rates for the state and national levels.
The FBI discourages ranking or comparing cities by crime rates due to various sociological differences, but comparing a city's crime rates to itself can give clues on whether crime rates have been moving up or down.
A look back at violent crimes reported by MPD from 2012 until 2022 shows the number of total offenses fell in 2022, closer to 2019 and 2012-2014 levels, identified by criminology experts as national low benchmarks for crime.
However, accuracy of crime data is also dependent on reporting to police, and not all crimes are notified to police at the same rates.
Focusing on homicide data submitted to the FBI between 2012 and 2022, homicides reported by the MPD were up from 93 in 2012 to 214 in 2022.
In 2024, that rate could be waning. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the Paste BN Network, reported in April that the Milwaukee police saw homicides down 54% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2022.
Contributing: Zac Anderson, Ben Adler, Paste BN; Molly Beck, Lawrence Andrea, David Clarey, Elliot Hughes; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel