Violent And Property Crime Fell In MN In 2023: Public Safety Report

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

Violent crime in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area decreased by 8.2 percent and fell in greater Minnesota by 3.4 percent.

Key stats from the crime report include:

• There were 181 murders in 2023 in Minnesota compared with 182 in 2022.
  • Firearms were involved in 69.6 percent of the incidents, down from 73.1 percent in 2022.
• There were 9,986 aggravated assaults in 2023, which is 3.4 percent lower than 2022.
• There were 2,053 rapes in 2023, a decrease of 11.85 percent.
  • Most of the rapes occurred in a home (72.6 percent) and 40.5 percent of the victims were minors.
• Motor vehicle theft decreased 6.8 percent in 2023 with 15,612 vehicles stolen as compared to 16,743 in 2022.
  • Carjacking incidents decreased 37.8 percent with 372 incidents in 2023, compared with 598 in 2022. Carjacking incidents are not counted as motor vehicle thefts.
• There were 72,701 incidents of larceny in 2023, the lowest in 55 years.
• Bias crimes rose in 2023, with 180 incidents reported.
• Law enforcement use-of-force incidents involving "discharge of a firearm" dropped in 2023 to 16, two fewer than in 2022.
• Police officers were assaulted in 961 incidents in 2023, a 0.9 percent increase from 2022.