Quick answer
According to crimebycity.com's analysis of NHTSA data, the most dangerous city to drive in in Wisconsin is South Milwaukee, WI with 14.9 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year (Road Danger Score 85/100), vs a US average of 12.3.
Highest Traffic-Fatality Rates in Wisconsin
Cities ranked by Road Danger Score — 5-year traffic deaths per 100,000 residents from NHTSA FARS.
| # | City | Danger Score | Deaths per 100K/yr | Deaths (5-Yr) | Alcohol % | Speeding % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Milwaukee | 85/100 | 14.9 | 15 | 27% | 47% |
| 2 | Milwaukee | 83/100 | 14.1 | 396 | 17% | 46% |
| 3 | Pleasant Prairie | 82/100 | 13.6 | 15 | 17% | 17% |
| 4 | Caledonia | 70/100 | 11.1 | 14 | 23% | 31% |
| 5 | Mount Pleasant | 65/100 | 10.1 | 14 | 25% | 17% |
| 6 | West Allis | 47/100 | 7.5 | 22 | 35% | 60% |
| 7 | Onalaska | 46/100 | 7.3 | 7 | 29% | 29% |
| 8 | Superior | 43/100 | 6.8 | 9 | 50% | 50% |
| 9 | Racine | 43/100 | 6.8 | 26 | 28% | 32% |
| 10 | Germantown | 42/100 | 6.6 | 7 | 29% | 14% |
| 11 | Beloit | 41/100 | 6.6 | 12 | 75% | 58% |
| 12 | Beaver Dam | 37/100 | 6.1 | 5 | 0% | 33% |
| 13 | Janesville | 37/100 | 6.0 | 20 | 37% | 32% |
| 14 | Wauwatosa | 36/100 | 6.0 | 14 | 17% | 33% |
| 15 | Greenfield | 36/100 | 6.0 | 11 | 18% | 36% |
| 16 | Madison | 29/100 | 5.3 | 75 | 30% | 45% |
| 17 | Brookfield | 28/100 | 5.2 | 11 | 9% | 9% |
| 18 | Sun Prairie | 23/100 | 4.7 | 9 | 43% | 43% |
| 19 | Eau Claire | 22/100 | 4.5 | 16 | 13% | 40% |
| 20 | New Berlin | 22/100 | 4.5 | 9 | 29% | 57% |
| 21 | Green Bay | 21/100 | 4.4 | 23 | 25% | 25% |
| 22 | Oshkosh | 20/100 | 4.2 | 14 | 21% | 36% |
| 23 | Menomonee Falls | 19/100 | 4.0 | 8 | 50% | 50% |
| 24 | Waukesha | 19/100 | 4.0 | 14 | 21% | 7% |
| 25 | Kenosha | 18/100 | 3.9 | 19 | 44% | 50% |
| 26 | Fitchburg | 16/100 | 3.7 | 6 | 67% | 33% |
| 27 | Fond Du Lac | 16/100 | 3.6 | 8 | 38% | 38% |
| 28 | Manitowoc | 15/100 | 3.5 | 6 | 17% | 0% |
| 29 | Stevens Point | 13/100 | 3.1 | 4 | 50% | 25% |
| 30 | La Crosse | 10/100 | 2.8 | 7 | 43% | 43% |
| 31 | Wausau | 9/100 | 2.5 | 5 | 20% | 40% |
| 32 | Sheboygan | 8/100 | 2.4 | 6 | 33% | 33% |
| 33 | Franklin | 8/100 | 2.3 | 4 | 25% | 0% |
| 34 | Neenah | 8/100 | 2.2 | 3 | 33% | 33% |
| 35 | Appleton | 5/100 | 1.6 | 6 | 17% | 67% |
| 36 | Mequon | 5/100 | 1.6 | 2 | 50% | 100% |
| 37 | De Pere | 3/100 | 0.8 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 38 | Muskego | 3/100 | 0.8 | 1 | 100% | 0% |
| 39 | West Bend | 2/100 | 0.6 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most dangerous city to drive in in Wisconsin?
South Milwaukee, WI has the highest traffic-fatality rate in Wisconsin: 14.9 deaths per 100,000 residents per year (most recent five-year period, NHTSA FARS), a Road Danger Score of 85/100.
What causes traffic deaths in these cities?
Across these 39 cities, an average of 33% of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver and 34% involved speeding (NHTSA FARS, most recent five-year period). These shares run higher than the safest-city list, alongside structural factors like road type and speed limits.
How is the Road Danger Score calculated?
The Road Danger Score is a percentile ranking from 1 to 100 based on each city's five-year traffic-fatality rate (deaths per 100,000 residents per year) from NHTSA FARS data: 100 = most dangerous to drive in, 1 = safest. See the methodology page for the full formula.