The 12 Most Dangerous Cities in Minnesota

Here are the 12 most dangerous cities in Minnesota - Where does St. Cloud land on this list?

According to AreaVibes, how a city is deemed dangerous goes by that city's particular crime rate. Even though Minnesota is considered one of the more "safe" states in our nation, we still experience our fare share of crime. (Just look at 2016 for the St. Cloud area alone - Crossroads Mall Stabbings, the Jacob Wetterling discovery.)

Speaking of St. Cloud, our very own city has made the list of the Top 12 Most Dangerous Minnesota Cities - but thankfully we aren't #1! Check out the list below - and maybe keep it in your back pocket if you ever think about moving!

• 12 - Bemidji: Scores high for education, amenities, cost of living, and apparently theft.
• 11 - St. Cloud: Our very own St. Cloud is no stranger to crime. We've got good schools and cheap housing, but our crime rate is 1/3 more than the national average.
• 10 - Waite Park: Our next door neighbors are right next to us on the dangerous list. Waite Park has three times the Minnesota average for reported thefts.
• 9 - Park Rapids: Don't let this small town's small population fool you. Park Rapids has a very high rates of burglary and theft.
• 8 - Duluth: Duluth is Minnesota's 5th largest city, with very high assault and theft crime rates.
• 7 - Spring Lake Park: Despite high education rankings, this city tops Duluth in theft.
• 6 - West St. Paul: This is no surprise to see West St. Paul on the list. With lots of people living together in one area, crime rates are sure to escalate.
• 5 - Brainerd: Even though Brainerd is great for cost of living, our neighbors of the north experience high crime rates every year.
• 4 - Brooklyn Center: One of the most dangerous suburbs to the Twin Cities, despite it's great housing market.
• 3 - Virginia: Now this one is actually surprising to see on the list. Most would not think that the quaint mining town would be high in crime rates - but this small town is #3 on the list.
• 2 - St. Paul: The 2nd largest city gets the #2 spot. St. Paul has an average of 4,147 crimes reported per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 3,099 crimes per 100,000 people.
• 1 - Minneapolis: And of course, Minneapolis takes the cake in crime rates. Minneapolis is also the only Minnesota city to make the nation's Most Dangerous 100 Cities list.

So there you have it, the top 12 most dangerous cities in Minnesota. Even though a few towns are located right here in Central Minnesota - I would much rather live here than anywhere else! Did any of these surprise you? Join in on the conversation!

SOURCE: onlyinyourstate.com