20 Safest Minnesota Towns Ranked Using Crime, Survey Data

TWIN CITIES, MN — The website Safewise recently released its rankings of the 20 safest cities in Minnesota, topped by Goodview in Winona County. Big Lake, in Sherburne County, ranked no. 2 overall.

Several Twin Cities suburban communities also made the list. Cottage Grove, for example, was ranked the ninth safest town in the state, with a violent crimes rate of just 0.41 per 1,000 people and a property crime rate of 20.66 per 1,000. The median income in Cottage Grove is $90,337.

Minnesota itself has below average rates of property and violent crime.

"The North Star State doesn’t need to wish upon a celestial body for lower crime rates," Safewise writes.

"This northern gem already does better than national crime rates for both violent and property crime. Minnesota’s violent crime rate is 2.95 incidents per 1,000 people, compared to the national rate of 4.49. With such good numbers, it’s no surprise that we welcomed back 40% of the cities that were honored last year."

"And the good streak continues with property crime—Minnesota slides just under the national average with 26.17 incidents per 1,000. The national property crime rate is 27.11."

According to the rankings, the top 20 safest cities in Minnesota are:

1. Goodview
2. Big Lake
3. Cold Spring/Richmond
4. Elko New Market
5. Princeton
6. New Prague
7. Chisholm
8. Oak Park Heights
9. Cottage Grove
10. Lino Lakes
11. Edina
12. Medina
13. Eden Prairie
14. Ramsey
15. Dayton
16. Orono
17. Farmington
18. Cambridge
19. Rosemount
20. Lake City

Read the Safest Cities in Minnesota ranking or find out more about the report's methodology