New Report Shows Minnesota Cities With the Lowest Crime Rates For 2026

If you're looking for the perfect place to live in Minnesota and a low crime rate is high on your list of priorities, this ranking of the safest cities in the North Star State is a great place to start.

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Updated for 2026, this year's list of Minnesota's safest cities highlights some impressive public safety numbers. In fact, no city reported more than one violent crime per 1,000 residents, and two communities reported zero violent crime and zero property crime over the past year.

The safest city in Minnesota has now held the top spot for four straight years, although this year it has company at the top with a tie for #1.

How Safe is Minnesota Compared to the Rest of the Country?

Overall, Minnesota continues to rank as one of the safer states in the country when it comes to crime.

According to the latest data from SafeWise, Minnesota’s violent crime rate is 3.18 incidents per 1,000 people, which is significantly lower than the national average of 4.43 incidents per 1,000.

That’s also an improvement from Minnesota’s 3.4 violent crime rate reported in 2024.

Property crime in Minnesota has ticked up slightly in recent years. The latest report shows 21.62 property crimes per 1,000 residents, up from 19.9 in 2024. Even with that increase, Minnesota still sits below the national average of 22.89 property crimes per 1,000 people.

Do Minnesotans Feel Safe?

Interestingly, how safe Minnesotans feel doesn’t always match the crime data.

In SafeWise’s latest State of Safety survey, 47% of Minnesotans said they feel safe living in the state. That’s an improvement from 44% last year.

Just 43% of residents say they worry about safety and security on a daily basis, and the number of people reporting first-hand experiences with crime dropped significantly compared to the previous year.

READ MORE: These Are the 25 Most Affordable Places to Live in Minnesota Right Now

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What Are the Most Used Security Measures in Minnesota?

According to Safewise, the most used security measure in Minnesota is security cameras. The second most used is guard dogs, followed by home security systems (beating out firearms, which were third on the list last year). 

When it comes to protecting themselves, 61% of Minnesotans say they carry pepper spray, 35% firearms, and 30% keychain weapons.

How Are the Safest Cities in Minnesota Determined?

The list of safest cities in Minnesota is based on the most recent FBI crime data pulled from the FBI Crime Data Explorer and population data. Keep in mind that many factors can determine how "safe" a particular city is.

"For the purposes of city ranking reports, 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," Safewise explains.

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The rankings are based on reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and reported property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, and vehicle theft). To keep the rankings as fair as possible among different size populations, the crime rates listed are per 1,000 residents in each city.

Explore the safest cities in Minnesota below with interactive maps and images.