Minnesota Violent and Property Crime Decline in 2023: Public Safety Report

ST. PAUL, MN – Minnesota saw a 6.9 percent decrease in violent crime in 2023, according to statistics released Friday by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

In the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, violent crime fell by 8.2 percent, and in the Minnesota metropolitan area, it fell by 3.4 percent.

Key statistics from the crime report include:

• In 2023, there were 181 murders in Minnesota, compared to 182 in 2022.
  • Firearms were involved in 69.6 percent of incidents; in 2022, the figure was 73.1 percent.
• In 2023, there were 9,986 serious bodily injuries, 3.4 percent fewer than in 2022.
• In 2023, there were 2,053 rapes, a decrease of 11.85 percent.
  • Most rapes occurred at home (72.6 percent) and 40.5 percent of the victims were minors.
• Motor vehicle theft decreased by 6.8 percent in 2023: 15,612 vehicles were stolen, compared to 16,743 in 2022.
  • The number of carjacking incidents decreased by 37.8 percent: there were 372 incidents in 2023, compared to 598 in 2022. Carjacking incidents are not counted as motor vehicle thefts.
• In 2023, there were 72,701 cases of theft, the lowest number in 55 years.
• In 2023, the number of hate crimes increased, with 180 incidents reported.
• The number of police use of force incidents involving “use of firearms” fell to 16 in 2023, two fewer than in 2022.
• In 2023, police officers were attacked in 961 attacks, an increase of 0.9 percent over 2022.