Minnesota’s Safest Cities of 2025

See crime rates for the safest cities.

In our most recent State of Safety survey, residents of Minnesota were less likely to worry about their safety on a daily basis than most Americans, but less than half (44%) feel safe in the state. Property crime and package theft experiences in The North Star State occur more often than the national average, while violent crime and gun violence experiences hover around the average mark.

Meanwhile, Minnesota's 20 safest cities report exceptionally low crime rates, and two saw no violent crime at all in the past year. 

We didn't have enough data to accurately calculate statewide crime rates for our 2025 report, but our annual State of Safety survey offers a closer look at first-hand crime experiences and concerns across The North Star State. 

Minnesotans feel a little more safe in their state compared to last year's report, with the confidence level climbing from 41% to 44%. This still falls below the nationwide average of 48%. 

Our data doesn't suggest a clear reason for this low confidence level. Minnesotans are among those least likely to worry about crime in general, with just 39% saying they feel concerned about their safety and security on a daily basis. That's a four percentage point decline from the previous year and well below the national average of 47%. When asked specifically about different types of crimes, Minnesotans continued to say they worried less year over year, and their sentiments matched or fell below nationwide averages. 

On the other hand, Minnesotans reported an increase in property crime, package theft, and violent crime experiences, which suggests these incidents are on the rise across the state. Only first-hand gun violence experiences fell year over year. 

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In our most recent survey, Minnesotans told us they're less worried about property crime and package theft compared to the previous year. Despite that drop in concern, Minnesotans were more likely to have experienced property crime and package theft year over year, and their experiences fall above the national averages.

• 30% of Minnesotans experienced property crime in the 8 months prior to our survey, up from 28% the year before (US 27%).
• The percentage of Minnesotans who worry about property crime on a daily basis fell from 54% to 41% year over year (US 54%).
• Residents in only three states worry about property crime less than Minnesotans: Iowa (38%), Rhode Island (38%), and North Dakota (34%). 
• 46% of survey respondents reported experiencing package theft in the 8 months prior to the survey, up from 41% the year before (US 37%).
• Residents of only three states were more likely to experience package theft: Washington (48%), New Mexico (47%), and Colorado (47%).
• The percentage of Minnesotans who worry about package theft fell from 58% to 48% year over year (US 52%).
• 35% of respondents said they increased security measures in the 8 months prior to the survey.
• Minnesotans prefer to protect their property with security cameras (58%), security systems (31%), and guard dogs (31%).

In our State of Safety survey, Minnesotans reported a slight uptick in violent crime experiences and an even smaller drop in daily concern about violent crime. Minnesotans matched the national average in both experience and concern. 

• 14% of survey participants reported having a personal experience with violent crime in the 8 months prior to our survey—2 percentage points higher than the previous year (US 14%).
• 59% of Minnesotans worry about violent crime on a daily basis, down from 60% the year before (US 59%).
• 27% of respondents use some form of personal protection—lower than the national average of 35%.
• Minnesotans prefer to protect themselves with pocket knives (14%), firearms (13%), and pepper spray (12%). 

• 10% of Minnesotans said they had experienced gun violence in the 8 months prior to our survey, down from 12% the year before (US 11%).
• 51% of Minnesotans said they were concerned about gun violence on a daily basis, down from 56% the previous year (57%).
• Minnesotans are less likely to use firearms for personal and property protection compared to the average American.
• There were 9 mass shootings in Minnesota in 2024, down from 12 the previous year. That's the first decline in three years.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 135 cities qualified for ranking this year.
• No city reported more than 1 violent crime per 1,000 residents.
• Montevideo held on to the #1 spot for the third consecutive year.
• Montevideo reported zero violent crimes and zero property crimes.
• Hibbing also reported zero violent crimes.
• Minnesota's 20 safest cities reported zero murders.
• Montevideo, West Hennepin, Lonsdale, and St. James reported zero motor vehicle thefts.
• West Hennepin's 10 property crimes were all larceny/theft. 
• Every safest city reported fewer than 7 property crimes per 1,000 people.
• The majority of Minnesota's 20 safest cities saw a year-over-year decrease in property crime. Half saw a decline in both property crime and violent crime.
• Three cities have seen declining property and violent crime rates for the second year in a row: Lino Lakes, North Branch, and Lake City.
• Notable movers on this year's list include #13 Lino Lakes (up 22 positions), #16 North Branch (up 42 positions), and #20 St. James (up 34 positions).

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