Crime in Wausau, Wisconsin

Wausau's crime rate

There were 677 crimes reported in Wausau, Wisconsin in 2019, the most recent year crime data is available. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 1,758 incidents for every 100,000 people.

How does Wausau compare?

Wausau has a lower overall crime rate than the majority of U.S. cities. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Wausau's overall crime rate is 0% similar to the overall crime rate in Wisconsin. Statewide, there were 102,742 crimes reported in 2019, or 1,765 for every 100,000 people.

What types of crimes are being committed?

The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In Wausau, however, property crimes account for only about 77% of all offenses.

Property crime is less prevalent in Wausau than it is nationwide. There were 521 property crimes in Wausau in 2019, or 1,353 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,110 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Wausau. There were 396 larcenies reported in Wausau in 2019, or 1,028 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 81 break-ins reported in Wausau in 2019, or 210 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 341 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 220 for every 100,000 people. In Wausau, meanwhile, there were 44 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 114 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the nearly 8.2 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2019. In Wausau, however, violent offenses account for a larger 23% share of all reported crime.

At 405 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Wausau is above the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Wausau reported a total of 156 violent crimes in 2019.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Wausau. There were 108 aggravated assaults reported in Wausau in 2019, or 281 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is lower, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 5 robberies reported in Wausau in 2019, a rate of 13 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 42 rapes reported in Wausau in 2019, or 109 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There was one homicide reported in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Wausau is 2.6 for every 100,000 people, lower than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.

Wausau compared to other cities in Wisconsin

Wausau has a higher crime rate than the majority of all comparable cities in Wisconsin. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2019 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.

Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.

Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.

Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.

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