North Division is a neighborhood of 4,840 residents in Milwaukee, about 2 miles northwest of downtown · Updated November 2026
Is North Division in Milwaukee safe?
North Division is among the higher-crime places in the US: an overall CrimeGrade™ of F, with more crime than the neighborhoods where 99% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade F here. Milwaukee as a whole grades F. Every neighborhood in North Division grades F.
F
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 0 of 1,000Less safe than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
1% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than North Division as a whole, and 99% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. North Division scores 0.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in North Division, Milwaukee, WI at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in North Division in Milwaukee, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in North Division
Burglary stands out among F-graded neighborhoods. For the typical resident of an F-graded US neighborhood, the figure is 4.6 burglaries a year per 1,000 residents; North Division has 10.7.
Aggravated assaults and robberies both run high. In North Division, each runs at more than triple the US rate: 36.7 aggravated assaults and 7.6 robberies a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 and 0.62 nationally.
Crime rates and types in North Division
CrimeGrade™ estimates North Division has about 153 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than triple the rate for the US as a whole and more than double the rate for Milwaukee as a whole.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Assault is the most common crime in North Division, about 49% of everything reported.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Police Department polices North Division; these figures cover Milwaukee as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Milwaukee as a whole, 64% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 55% of them, against 18% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (64%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (62%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (55%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (37%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (54%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (55%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How North Division compares with nearby neighborhoods
Of the 10 neighborhoods closest to North Division, 8 have less crime. Riverwest and Rufus King have the least.
Empty homes, nightlife and walkability in North Division
Two things set North Division apart: it has 23.8% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 1.7 bars and nightlife spots for every 1,000 residents, against 0.6 nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.23.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 99% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Bars and nightlifeBars, lounges, clubs and casinos. Places with more bars tend to report more assault and robbery.1.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 0.6Higher than for 90% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault.B (64 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 73% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.15 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 79% of residents of US city neighborhoods
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs North Division
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs North Division about $8,393 a year per household, more than triple the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $90 million a year, or $18,665 per resident.
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in North Division means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in North Division, Milwaukee, WI average a SchoolGrade of F: 11% of students test proficient, against 12% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in North Division on SchoolGrade
