Racine, WI Crime Map

Racine, WI Safety Overview: What the Data Actually Shows

With a population of 134,679 and an overall city crime grade of C, Racine presents a more nuanced safety picture than that single letter might suggest. Across 59 analyzed neighborhoods, 83% earned an A or B rating — meaning the majority of places where people actually live, work, and raise families fall into the safe category. Only 5% of neighborhoods scored a D, and none received an F. The city-wide safety rating lands at B, a meaningful distinction from the overall C grade, which reflects how concentrated crime patterns are in a small number of areas rather than spread evenly across the city.

Where Racine Excels: The Safest Neighborhoods

The strongest safety records belong to neighborhoods that also tend to carry higher median household incomes. Shoop Park and H.F. Johnson Park both earned A+ grades — the highest possible — with median incomes of $136,480 and $129,275 respectively, well above the city median of $44,346. Elmwood (Grade A, $102,050) and Tanges Terrace (Grade A, $94,427) round out the upper tier. Further down the income scale, neighborhoods like Wolff's Town (Grade A, $70,337), Greenbriar (Grade A, $75,983), and Manree Park (Grade A, $76,472) demonstrate that strong safety grades are achievable across a range of economic conditions — not just in the wealthiest pockets of the city.

Higher-Crime Areas and the Concentration Effect

The neighborhoods pulling down Racine's overall grade are few but significant. Valley Flats and Midtown both earned D grades, while Downtown sits at D+. The 11th Ward and Roosevelt each scored C-, placing them in the lower-middle tier. These five neighborhoods represent a concentrated band of elevated risk rather than a citywide pattern. That concentration matters: it means that understanding where these areas are — and where they are not — gives residents and newcomers a practical edge in assessing day-to-day risk.

Grade Distribution Across All 59 Neighborhoods

Looking at the full grade distribution, 42.4% of Racine's neighborhoods earned an A, and another 40.7% earned a B. That leaves just 11.9% at a C and 5.1% at a D. No neighborhood in the city received an F. For a city with a 20.7% poverty rate and a 5.5% unemployment rate — both figures that typically correlate with higher crime — having more than four in five neighborhoods rated safe is a meaningful data point. It suggests that community-level factors, policing patterns, and neighborhood cohesion are doing real work in most parts of Racine.

Property Crime vs. Violent Crime: What Shapes the Grades

In Racine, as in most mid-sized Midwest cities, property crime — including vehicle theft, burglary, and theft from vehicles — tends to occur at higher rates and across a wider geographic spread than violent crime. Violent incidents, while serious, cluster more tightly in the lower-graded neighborhoods like Valley Flats, Midtown, and Downtown. This distinction matters practically: a neighborhood can carry a B grade while still experiencing occasional property crime, whereas D-grade areas tend to see both property and violent crime at elevated rates. Residents and visitors should weigh both crime types when evaluating any specific area.

How the Crime Map Helps You Make Smarter Decisions

Racine's interactive crime map is built for real decisions, not abstract awareness. Home buyers comparing a listing near Elmwood against one closer to the Roosevelt corridor can pull up neighborhood grades side by side and factor crime data directly into their offer calculus. Renters weighing the city's median rent of $860 against a unit in Midtown or Wolff's Town have concrete safety context to pair with price. Commuters who pass through Downtown daily can identify which blocks see the most incident activity and adjust their routines accordingly. The map turns neighborhood-level data into a practical tool — one that reflects where Racine's 134,679 residents actually live, not just where crime happens to make headlines.