Rufus King is a neighborhood of 4,440 residents in Milwaukee, about 4 miles north of downtown · Updated November 2026
Is Rufus King in Milwaukee safe?
Crime in Rufus King is high, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of F. Most US neighborhoods have far less: 99% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Rufus King. Violent crime grades F and property crime D-. Milwaukee as a whole grades F. Every neighborhood in Rufus King 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 Rufus King as a whole, and 99% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Rufus King 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 Rufus King, Milwaukee, WI at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Rufus King 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 Rufus King
Robberies and aggravated assaults both run high. In Rufus King, each runs at more than triple the US rate: 4.8 robberies and 18.1 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.62 and 2.6 nationally.
Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Milwaukee as a whole, 55% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.
Crime rates and types in Rufus King
CrimeGrade™ estimates Rufus King has about 89 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than double the rate for the US as a whole and 34% more than 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 Rufus King, about 43% 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 Rufus King; these figures cover Milwaukee as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Milwaukee as a whole, 64% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% 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 Rufus King compares with nearby neighborhoods
Rufus King has less crime than 8 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods; only Lincoln Park and Lincoln Creek have less.
Two things set Rufus King apart: it has 2.7 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 13.6% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places with few stores and restaurants tend to report less theft and car theft, yet theft and car theft run higher here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft and car theft.2.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 92% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.13.6% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 91% 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. 64% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.C- (31 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 54% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Bars and nightlifeBars, lounges, clubs and casinos. Places with more bars tend to report more assault and robbery.1.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 0.6Higher than for 83% 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 Rufus King
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Rufus King about $5,435 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 $49 million a year, or $10,931 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 Rufus King 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. Rufus King is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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 Rufus King, Milwaukee, WI average a SchoolGrade of F: 20% of students test proficient, against 22% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Rufus King on SchoolGrade
