Minnesota Violent Crime Drops in 2025 as Murders, Vehicle Thefts, and Robberies Decline
TWIN CITIES, MINNESOTA - Violent crime declined across Minnesota in 2025, with the state recording fewer murders, robberies and aggravated assaults along with substantial decreases in vehicle thefts and carjackings, according to newly released statewide crime data.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension released its 2025 Uniform Crime Report on Thursday, September 10, 2026, providing a statewide look at crimes reported by local law enforcement agencies. Minnesota's violent crime rate fell to 226 offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, the lowest rate reported since 2019.
The decline was seen both in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and across greater Minnesota. Violent crime decreased 14% in the seven-county metro area, which includes Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties. Greater Minnesota recorded a 9% decrease.
Murders Fall Sharply from 2024
Minnesota recorded 130 murders in 2025, down from 172 in 2024, a decrease of approximately 24%. The number has declined considerably from several years earlier. Minnesota recorded 204 murders in 2021, 183 in 2022 and 182 in 2023. Firearms were involved in 69.2% of murders reported in 2025, compared with 75% in 2024.
The BCA also reported that 78% of homicide cases were cleared by arrest or exceptional means in 2025, up from 76% the previous year.
An incident can be considered cleared by exceptional means when authorities have identified an offender but circumstances outside law enforcement's control prevent formal charges from being filed, such as when the offender has died.
Robberies and Aggravated Assaults Decline
Robbery showed one of the largest declines among violent crime categories. Minnesota recorded 2,054 robberies in 2025, compared with 2,838 in 2024, a decrease of nearly 28%. The decline is even more pronounced when compared with 2021, when 4,009 robberies were reported statewide. The 2025 total was nearly 49% lower than four years earlier.
Aggravated assaults also declined. Law enforcement agencies reported 8,762 aggravated assaults in 2025, down 11% from 9,842 in 2024. Aggravated assaults have declined each year since at least 2021, when Minnesota recorded 10,879 incidents.
The BCA reported 2,188 rapes in 2025, down 1.9% from 2,231 in 2024. According to the report, 71.8% of reported rapes occurred in a home and 37.5% of victims were minors.
Vehicle Thefts Drop More Than 22%
Minnesota also recorded a significant reduction in motor vehicle thefts during 2025. A total of 9,803 vehicles were reported stolen, down 22.4% from 12,634 in 2024. Vehicle thefts have now fallen substantially from their recent peak. Minnesota recorded 16,834 motor vehicle thefts in 2022 and 15,631 in 2023. The 2025 total represents a decline of approximately 42% from 2022.
Carjackings also dropped sharply. Minnesota law enforcement agencies reported 294 completed or attempted carjackings during 2025, compared with 426 in 2024 — a decrease of 31%. The BCA notes that carjacking incidents are tracked separately and are not included in the state's motor vehicle theft totals.
Larceny Reaches Lowest Level in 57 Years
Property crime declined across all four major categories included in the report. There were 64,157 larceny incidents reported statewide in 2025, down from 71,075 in 2024 and 88,153 in 2021. According to the BCA, the 2025 figure is Minnesota's lowest number of reported larceny incidents in 57 years.
Burglaries declined from 10,618 in 2024 to 9,254 in 2025, a decrease of approximately 13%. That continues a longer-term decline from 14,548 burglaries reported in 2021.
Arson incidents decreased from 590 in 2024 to 500 in 2025. Minnesota recorded 723 arsons in 2021.
Taken together, the data show decreases from 2024 to 2025 in murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
Bias Crimes Remain Relatively Steady
The number of reported bias-motivated incidents remained relatively unchanged. Minnesota agencies reported 224 bias incidents in 2025, compared with 228 in 2024.
For comparison, agencies reported 182 incidents in 2023, 165 in 2022, and 241 in 2021.
The report also found that 82% of reported drug abuse violations were cleared by arrest in 2025, compared with 81% in each of the previous three years.
Police Use-of-Force Incidents Decline
The Uniform Crime Report also includes information required under Minnesota law on law enforcement use of force, assaults against officers, police pursuits and other law enforcement activity.
Minnesota agencies reported 21 use-of-force incidents involving firearm discharges in 2025, six fewer than the 27 reported in 2024.
Across the use-of-force data reported by the BCA, six people died, and 16 incidents resulted in serious injuries requiring medical attention. Four incidents did not result in injury.
Agencies reported race information for people on whom force was used as 12 White, eight Black, four American Indian or Alaska Native and two Asian. Those figures may exceed the number of incidents because an incident can involve more than one person.
Law enforcement officers were assaulted in 981 incidents during 2025, a 1.3% decrease from 2024.
New tracking-warrant data included
The report also contains information from a relatively new reporting requirement involving tracking devices placed on stolen or fleeing vehicles.
The Minnesota Legislature began requiring the information with the 2024 Uniform Crime Report. Agencies must report search warrants obtained to maintain a mobile tracking device on a stolen or fleeing vehicle for more than 12 hours.
For the reporting period between Aug. 1, 2024, and Aug. 1, 2025, three such warrants were reported statewide.
The BCA noted that the date range for this requirement differs from the reporting periods used for other statistics in the Uniform Crime Report.
Five-year data show broader declines
The newly released figures also provide a longer look at how several major crime categories have changed since 2021.
Murders declined from 204 in 2021 to 130 in 2025. Robberies fell from 4,009 to 2,054 during the same period, while aggravated assaults decreased from 10,879 to 8,762.
Property crimes followed a similar pattern. Burglaries fell from 14,548 in 2021 to 9,254 in 2025, while larceny declined from 88,153 to 64,157.
Motor vehicle theft has followed a somewhat different trajectory. The number increased from 14,893 in 2021 to 16,834 in 2022 before beginning a sustained decline, falling to 15,631 in 2023, 12,634 in 2024, and 9,803 in 2025.
The 2025 Uniform Crime Report is compiled from crime information submitted to the BCA by law enforcement agencies across Minnesota and provides one of the state's most comprehensive annual snapshots of reported criminal activity.
The complete report, along with Minnesota's Crime Data Explorer and reports from previous years, is available through the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Written by: Will Wight
