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FACT BRIEF

Has violent crime increased in Minnesota in recent years?

By Alberto Gomez
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YES

After declining in 2018 and 2019, violent crime in Minnesota increased 17.2% in 2020 and 21.6% in 2021, according to Minnesota Department of Public Safety's 2021 statewide crime report. Data for 2022 is not yet available.

Between 2017 and 2019, there were fewer than 13,000 reported violent crime incidents on average. In 2020, incidents rose to 14,495; in 2021, to 17,631 incidents.

Over the same period, property crime also increased, but only slightly: 2,387 incidents per 100,000 Minnesotans in 2021 compared to 2,348 incidents per 100,000 in 2017. After rising 2.1% in 2020, the rate fell 1.4% in 2021.

Violent crime accounted for 6.3% of total reported statewide offenses in 2021, while property crime accounted for 42.7%.

Thomas Abt, a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice in New York, cited three major factors in Minnesota's violent crime spike: pandemic-related strain on at-risk individuals and community-based organizations, the George Floyd protests, and a surge in firearm purchases.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension 2021 Minnesota Uniform Crime Report
MPR News What factors contributed to skyrocketing violent crime rates throughout Minnesota?
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MinnPost is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces thoughtful, in-depth journalism about civic and cultural affairs impacting Minnesota. Through our reporting, we take readers beyond the headlines and deep into the issues that matter through our public-service journalism, empowering them to engage in the politics and policy-making shaping Minnesota’s future.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.