The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Forest Lake, MN: Crime Maps and Statistics

B-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	B+
Property Crime Grade	C+
Other Crime Grade	B-

Which crimes are included?

$5.48 million

Cost of Crime™ for Forest Lake, MN

In 2025, crime will cost $692 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Forest Lake with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Forest Lake, MN Safe?

The B- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Forest Lake's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Forest Lake sits in the 57th percentile, ahead of 57% of cities and behind 43%. The grade covers only Forest Lake's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Forest Lake is 21.94 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 20 in the north neighborhoods to 1 in 83 in the southwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the west parts of Forest Lake, MN report the most crime, about 118 cases per year. The south part reports the fewest, around 18 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Forest Lake, MN

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Forest Lake for 2025 is $5,482,989, about $266 per resident and $692 per household. That equals 0.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 62.0%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 25.8%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.2%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Forest Lake Compared to Other Cities?

Forest Lake, MN:	$266
Chisholm, MN:	$981
Oronoco, MN:	$156
Minnesota:	$409
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Forest Lake is $266 per year, which is $198 less than the national average and $142 less than Minnesota's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Forest Lake:

In Chisholm, MN, crime costs $981 per person, which is $715 more than in Forest Lake.
In Oronoco, MN, crime costs $156 per person, which is $110 less than in Forest Lake

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Forest Lake for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Forest Lake	Cost per Forest Lake Resident
Murder	$720,888	$35
Rape/Sexual Assault	$945,801	$46
Robbery	$228,755	$11
Assault	$642,566	$31
Kidnapping	$48,424	$2
Vehicle Theft	$545,922	$27
Burglary	$260,010	$13
Theft	$1.04 million	$51
Arson	$39,178	$2
Vandalism	$614,937	$30
Animal Cruelty	$5,198	$0
Drug Crimes	$179,639	$9
Identity Theft	$208,423	$10
Total Cost of Crime	$5,482,989	$266

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Forest Lake, MN

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Forest Lake totals $9,612,680 ($467 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $15,095,669 ($734 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The northwest part of the city holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Forest Lake has 2, do the same, and of Forest Lake's 20,576 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Forest Lake, MN at ISP Reports.

Forest Lake Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Forest Lake residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.087
Robbery	0.3534
Rape	0.7581
Murder	0.0186
Total Violent Crime	2.218 (B+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	9.790
Vehicle Theft	1.713
Burglary	1.393
Arson	0.0788
Total Property Crime	12.98 (C+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0388
Drug Crimes	1.180
Vandalism	4.183
Identity Theft	1.309
Animal Cruelty	0.0342
Total "Other" Rate	6.745 (B-)

Individual Forest Lake Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Forest Lake is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Forest Lake.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Wyoming, MN	A-	B+	A-
Columbus, MN	A-	B	A-
Scandia, MN	B	A-	C
Hugo, MN	B	A	B-
Chisago City, MN	B+	A	B-
Centerville, MN	B+	A+	B
Lino Lakes, MN	B-	A-	C+
Stacy, MN	A	A	A-
Marine On St. Croix, MN	B-	B+	C
Lindstrom, MN	A-	A	B+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Forest Lake is similar versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Walled Lake, MI	C+	B	B
Godfrey, IL	B	A-	A-
Waunakee, WI	B+	A	A
Grand Island, NY	A	A-	A-
Great Neck, NY	C-	D+	D+
Greenfield, CA	B	D+	D+
Watervliet, NY	B-	C	C
Guilford, CT	A	A+	A+
Washington Court House, OH	C-	C+	C+
Hannibal, MO	D-	D	D

Considering only the crime rate, Forest Lake is safer than the Minnesota state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Forest Lake, MN average SchoolGrade of B, with 44% actual proficiency versus 47% projected; overall, schools don't meet expectations. See Forest Lake schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.