(The Center Square) – 2025 was a deadlier year in Milwaukee after the city’s police department reported a jump in homicides last year.
Milwaukee’s homicide database shows 142 people were killed in the city in 2025, compared to 132 in 2024. That is an 8% increase.
Milwaukee Police are not offering any thoughts as to why more people were killed in 2025 than 2024.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the spike in homicides is “vexing.”
The murder increase in Milwaukee stands out, in part, because 2025 saw fewer murders in most big cities. Washington, D.C reported a 31% drop in homicides, while Chicago reported 30% fewer killings. New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New Orleans also reported a drop in homicides in 2025.
Nationwide, the FBI said homicides fell almost 20% in the last year.
Milwaukee did see a double digit drop in other crimes, however.
The police database shows a 19% drop in non-fatal shootings. Milwaukee Police say 515 people were shot and survived in 2025, down from 637 in 2024.
Aggravated assaults fell 22%, and robberies dropped 28%. But the biggest year-over-year decline in crime in Milwaukee came from carjacking cases.
The police database reported a 49% drop in carjackings, from 513 in 2024 down to 264 in 2025.
