Big Lake ranks #4 and Becker #8 in the latest, Safest Cities in Minnesota poll.

According to the Safewise.com website, out of the top 20 cities deemed safest in Minnesota, none of the cities have reported a murder in the last year. No city reported more than one violent crime per 1,000 residents.

Montevideo was named #1 and made the most dramatic improvement the year before, rising 28 spots to number seven. This year, it rose even higher to place at #1. Montevideo has a population of  4,995.

Big Lake checked in at #4 (Pop. 11,721) and Becker came in at #8 (Pop. 5,080.) The other cities in the top 20 are: Corcoran at #2 (Pop. 6,742), West Hennepin at #3 (Pop. 5,955), Hibbing at #5 (Pop. 15,655), Dayton at #6 (Pop. 7,754), La Crescent at #7 (Pop. 5,027), New Prague at #9 (Pop. 8,293), Cold Spring/Richmond at #10 (Pop. 5,869).

At #11 is Minnetrista (Pop. 11,095), #12 is Medina (Pop. 6,969), #13 is Buffalo (Pop. 16,994), #14 is St. Joseph (Pop. 7,864), #15 is South Lake Minnetonka (Pop. 12,833), #16 is East Grand Forks (Pop. 8,379), #17 is Orono (Pop. 20,241), #18 is New Ulm (Pop. 13,106), #19 is St. Francis (Pop. 8,154) and #20 is Rosemount (Pop. 26,218).

Safewise.com uses FBI crime statistics data to rank cities in each state and across the country. To add extra insight and depth to that assessment, they include demographic information and the results of their proprietary State of Safety research study.

The “safest” cities rankings are intended to highlight cities with low crime rates and ignite conversation and action around how to make all cities and communities safer.

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.

In Safewise.com’s 2023 State of Safety survey, residents of Minnesota (41%) were less likely to worry about their safety on a daily basis than most Americans (50%). This makes sense since Minnesota’s violent crime rate falls below the national rate, and its property crime rate isn’t too high above the national average.

All of Minnesota’s 20 safest cities reported violent crime and property crime rates well below the state average. 

For their 2023 reporting year, the most recent FBI data was released in October 2022, and accounts for crimes reported in calendar year 2021.

For more information and to see the data Safewise.com used, go to: www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-minnesota/.