How crime in Minneapolis and St. Paul compares to national trends in 2024

Violent crime tends to increase during the summer months. In July, Minneapolis recorded nine murders, for a total of 43 for the year, according to a Star Tribune database. Since then, the number of murders has declined, and the city is now just below last year's number through August 13. However, the number of murders here is up by two-thirds compared to 2019.

St. Paul is similar: According to a Star Tribune database, there have been 16 murders recorded this year through July, compared to 21 last year. While that database doesn't go back to 2019, the city has recorded 13 through July of this year, according to police, who track murders differently.

The fact that the number of murders in the Twin Cities has declined but has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels is common practice among American cities.

Two-thirds of the 29 cities whose murder rates were studied by the Council on Criminal Justice have not returned to their pre-pandemic numbers, the report said. The Twin Cities were not included in the murder study.

Homicide rates nationwide have fallen 13% year-over-year and are just below 2019 levels. This is mainly due to significant declines in large cities, where homicide rates tend to be higher.

If this trend continues, a return to 2019 levels would be a significant milestone given that the number of murders increased by nearly a third in 2020, the largest single-year increase in U.S. history, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.