According to the CDC, the state of Minnesota has one of the lowest homicide rates in the country. It is tied with Iowa for the ninth safest state in 2020.
However, nearly 60% of the people being arrested for homicide are either Black or American Indian. Groups that make up roughly 9.5% of the state’s population. If you remove this 9.5% of the state’s population, then Minnesota would be about 86% White and the homicide rate would have been the second lowest in the nation. Only New Hampshire, which is 93% White, would still have a lower homicide rate for 2020.
The state of Minnesota is roughly 8% Black, but this population groups commits a majority of all murders in the entire states. American Indians make up another 1.5%, but also commit a very disproportional amount of murders.
According to data submitted by Minnesota police departments to the FBI:
In 2017, 57.8% of the people arrested for murder or non-negligent manslaughter in Minnesota were Black. 2.9% were American Indians, 37.3% were White or Latino, and 2.0% were Asian.
In 2018, 45.1% of the people arrested for murder or non-negligent manslaughter in Minnesota were Black. 3.9% were American Indians, 43.1% were White or Latino, and 7.8% were Asian.
In 2019, 59.6% of the people arrested for murder or non-negligent manslaughter in Minnesota were Black. 13.1% were American Indians, 26.3% were White or Latino, and 1% were Asian.
In 2020, 55.1% of the people arrested for murder or non-negligent manslaughter in Minnesota were Black. 5.9% were American Indian, 38.2% were White or Latino, and .7% were Asian.
In 2020, 87.5% of the people arrested for murder or non-negligent manslaughter in St. Paul were Black.
In 2020, 81.3% of the people arrested for murder or non-negligent manslaughter in Minneapolis were Black.
Between 2011 and 2020, 50.5% of the people arrested for murder or non-negligent manslaughter in Minnesota were Black. 7.8% were American Indian, 39.0% were White or Latino, and 2.6% were Asian.
Note: In FBI data, the category of “White” includes people of European decent, but also Latinos, Middle Easterners, North Africans, Persians, Central Asian peoples, Gypsies, and more. The category of “Asian” includes East Asians and South Pacific Islanders. The majority of murders committed by Asians in Minnesota are Hmong from Vietnam.
