Governor Walz’s claim about Minnesota’s crime rate is just wrong
“Minnesotan’s tolerance for crime is incredibly low.”
Gov. Walz, 8/28/22
As it should be, Governor.
On Sunday at the Minnesota State Fair, Governor Walz made several claims about Minnesota’s crime rate that just aren’t true. See the interview here.
In a confusing and defensive statement with Esme Murphy, Governor Walz stated:
“Minnesota is….was one of three states with the lowest crime rate in America. The fact as it stands today is there are 45 states with higher crime rates than Minnesota.”
The statement and the figures are just plain wrong.
Using 2020 FBI data, which represents the latest national data set on crime, Minnesota ranks 27th overall in Part 1 crimes (a combination of significant violent and property crimes), 13th overall in violent crime, and 30th overall in property crimes (ranked lowest to highest).
This chart shows Minnesota’s ranking in comparison to the nation.
As we have noted in our HighCrimeMN campaign, Minnesota rose above the national average in Part 1 crimes in 2020 for the first time in our history.
One ranking in which Minnesota ranks #3 lowest in the nation is in the lack of criminals being sent to prison. Our incarceration rate is lower than 47 other states, despite our rapidly rising crime rate.
