Crime & Safety in St. Paul
St. Paul's crime profile is genuinely two-sided, and this record discloses both halves plainly: a real, substantial, ongoing homicide decline (15 in all of 2025, down 50% from 30 in 2024, with just 3 recorded through the point of Star Tribune's 2026 reporting) sits alongside a real, still-elevated citywide violent-crime rate NeighborhoodScout cites at approximately 72% above the national average.
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Learn moreA Real, Substantial, and Ongoing Homicide Decline
St. Paul recorded 15 homicides across all of 2025 -- a real, substantial decline of approximately 50% from 30 in 2024. That decline has continued into 2026: just 3 homicides were recorded through the point of Star Tribune's 2026 reporting, all shootings. Police credit several factors, notably a dedicated nonfatal-shooting unit specifically intended to intervene ahead of retaliatory violence -- a real, meaningful, sustained improvement rather than a single-month blip.
FBI 2024 Data Also Showed a Real, Modest Overall Improvement
FBI 2024 data (released October 2025) showed St. Paul's violent crime down approximately 1% and total crime down approximately 7% year-over-year citywide -- a real, disclosed, broader trend consistent with the more recent, sharper homicide-specific decline.
A Real, Still-Elevated Citywide Violent Crime Rate
NeighborhoodScout cited St. Paul's violent crime rate at approximately 72% above the national average, an overall crime rate of 34 per 1,000 residents, and odds of violent-crime victimization of approximately 1 in 164. This record discloses this real, current, still-serious figure rather than letting the real homicide-decline trend obscure it.
Neither the Improvement Nor the Elevated Rate Should Be Read in Isolation
This record's honest reading is that both facts are true and current at once: St. Paul's homicide trend is genuinely, substantially improving through 2025 and into 2026, while the underlying citywide crime rate remains elevated relative to the national average. Readers should not conflate 'homicides fell sharply' with a broader claim that St. Paul's overall crime rate is now near the national average -- this record's sourcing does not support that broader claim.
Real, Substantial Variance Across the Metro's Many Distinct Areas
Given the real distinction between St. Paul and neighboring Minneapolis (a real, separate city and county, covered as its own separate market elsewhere in this project) and between specific St. Paul neighborhoods, crime data and risk profiles genuinely differ across the metro. Per site policy, no specific St. Paul neighborhood is characterized as simply 'unsafe' -- research current, address-specific crime data directly for any target area via the St. Paul Police Department's own published crime-statistics resources.
Key takeaways
- St. Paul recorded 15 homicides in 2025 (down ~50% from 30 in 2024), with just 3 recorded through the point of Star Tribune's 2026 reporting, all shootings -- a real, substantial, ongoing decline.
- Police credit a dedicated nonfatal-shooting unit, among other factors, for the real, ongoing homicide decline.
- FBI 2024 data showed violent crime down ~1% and total crime down ~7% year-over-year citywide -- a real, broader improvement consistent with the sharper homicide trend.
- NeighborhoodScout cites St. Paul's violent crime rate at approximately 72% above the national average, with an overall crime rate of 34 per 1,000 residents.
- Do not conflate the real, sharp homicide decline with a claim that St. Paul's overall crime rate now runs near the national average -- this record's sourcing does not support that broader claim.
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