  Several large neutrino telescopes, operating at various sites around the
world, have as their main objective the first detection of neutrinos emitted by
a gravitational collapse in the Milky Way. The success of these observation
programs depends on the rate of supernova core collapse in the Milky Way, $R$.
In this work, standard statistical techniques are used to combine several
independent results. Their consistency is discussed and the most critical input
data are identified. The inference on $R$ is further tested and refined by
including direct information on the occurrence rate of gravitational collapse
events in the Milky Way and in the Local Group, obtained from neutrino
telescopes and electromagnetic surveys. A conservative treatment of the errors
yields a combined rate $R=1.63 \pm 0.46$ (100 yr)$^{-1}$; the corresponding
time between core collapse supernova events turns out to be
$T=61_{-14}^{+24}$~yr. The importance to update the analysis of the stellar
birthrate method is emphasized.
