Madison, WI Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions: Madison, WI Crime & Safety

Is Madison, WI safe?

Yes — Madison ranks as Very Safe (A) city-wide, and the data backs that up clearly. Across 145 analyzed neighborhoods, 75.9% earned an A grade and another 15.9% earned a B, meaning 92% of Madison neighborhoods fall into the safe-to-very-safe category. Only a single neighborhood — Leopold — received a D+ grade, and not one neighborhood scored an F. Standout safe areas include Heritage Heights (A+, population 2,561), East Buckeye (A+), and Lacy Heights (A+), all of which consistently show minimal criminal activity. Even accounting for higher-crime pockets like Monona Bay (C-) and Berkley Oaks (C+), Madison's overall safety profile is well above average for a city of 445,000+ residents.

What is the crime rate in Madison, WI?

Madison's overall crime picture earns a B- grade at the city level, while the neighborhood-by-neighborhood analysis yields a Very Safe (A) city-wide safety rating — a distinction worth understanding. The B- city grade reflects aggregate incident volume across a population of 445,499 people, while the A safety rating reflects how the vast majority of residential neighborhoods actually experience crime day-to-day. Drilling into the neighborhood breakdown: 110 of 145 neighborhoods (75.9%) are graded A, 23 neighborhoods (15.9%) are graded B, 11 neighborhoods (7.6%) are graded C, and just 1 neighborhood (0.7%) is graded D. That means fewer than 1 in 100 neighborhoods reaches the higher-risk D tier, and none reach F. Property crime — including vehicle break-ins and theft — tends to be the more prevalent category city-wide, while violent crime remains comparatively rare across most neighborhoods.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Madison, WI?

Ten neighborhoods currently hold an A+ safety grade, the highest possible rating. Here's how they compare by median household income, which often correlates with safety investment and community resources:

• Lacy Heights — A+, median income $180,141 (highest-income safe neighborhood)
• Belle Isle — A+, median income $126,887
• Byrnewood — A+, median income $123,381
• Oak Meadow — A+, median income $123,381
• Heritage Heights — A+, median income $117,745 (largest A+ neighborhood at 2,561 residents)
• East Buckeye — A+, median income $100,552
• Hillside Heights — A+, median income $89,731
• City of Fitchburg Commerce Park — A+, median income $89,726
• Fitchburg Business Park — A+, median income $88,742
• Twin Oaks — A+, median income $88,261

Of these, Heritage Heights is the most populous A+ neighborhood and a strong choice for families seeking both safety and community scale. Lacy Heights leads on income and safety combined.

Which neighborhoods in Madison have higher crime rates?

Only 12 of 145 neighborhoods (8.3%) received a grade of C or lower, and just one — Leopold (D+) — reached the D tier. The full higher-crime tier breakdown is as follows:

• Leopold — D+ (the only D-grade neighborhood in the city)
• Monona Bay — C-
• Berkley Oaks — C+
• Bram's Addition — C+
• University Apartments — C+

It's worth noting that a C+ grade still represents a moderate risk level — not extreme — and areas like University Apartments often see elevated incident counts tied to high population density and transient demographics rather than serious violent crime. If you're evaluating these neighborhoods, cross-referencing incident type data (property vs. violent) alongside the letter grade gives a fuller picture.

Is Madison a good place to live in 2026?

The data makes a strong case. Madison's unemployment rate of 2.8% sits well below the national average, and a median household income of $67,565 supports a stable economic foundation. The median home value of $262,062 and median rent of $1,147 remain relatively accessible for a state capital with a major research university. On the safety side, 92% of neighborhoods are graded A or B, and the city's population density of 1,253 per square mile is moderate enough to avoid the congestion-crime pressures seen in denser metros. The 16.4% poverty rate is an area to watch — it's higher than the city's income figures might suggest — but it hasn't translated into widespread neighborhood-level crime, as evidenced by the near-absence of D and F grades across 145 neighborhoods. For families, remote workers, students, and professionals alike, Madison's combination of economic health, safety grades, and livability metrics makes it one of the Midwest's more compelling cities in 2026.

How does Madison's crime compare to other Wisconsin cities?

Madison's B- overall crime grade paired with a Very Safe (A) neighborhood safety rating places it favorably within Wisconsin's urban landscape. The fact that 0% of neighborhoods earned an F grade and only 0.7% earned a D is a meaningful benchmark — many comparable cities of 400,000+ residents see a far higher proportion of D and F neighborhoods. With 110 out of 145 neighborhoods at the A level, Madison's safety distribution is heavily skewed toward the positive end, which is uncommon for a city of its size and density.