City Crime Score
Very low crime
Population
30,837
Median Income
$75,327
Home Value
$320,632
Median Age
38.0
Crime Statistics
Demographics
23.0% have a bachelor's degree or higher
Housing
Faribault, MN Crime Map
Explore crime rates, safest neighborhoods, and detailed crime statistics
Faribault, MN Crime Overview: What the Data Shows
Faribault earns an overall crime grade of B — a meaningful distinction for a city of roughly 23,853 residents in Rice County. That grade places Faribault in a favorable position relative to many Minnesota cities of comparable size, though it doesn't mean crime is absent. Understanding what kind of crime occurs, and where, is far more useful than a single headline number.
Crime Type Breakdown: Property vs. Violent Incidents
Across Faribault's reported incidents, property crime consistently outpaces violent crime — a pattern typical of Midwestern cities with similar economic profiles. Theft, including vehicle break-ins and shoplifting, represents the largest share of reported offenses. Vandalism and burglary follow as the next most common categories. Violent incidents — assaults, domestic disturbances — do occur but make up a notably smaller slice of the overall picture.
This breakdown matters for residents making day-to-day decisions. The elevated property crime share suggests that securing vehicles and homes is a higher practical priority than concerns about violent confrontation. Locking doors, using motion-sensor lighting, and not leaving valuables visible in parked cars are among the most effective countermeasures given the actual incident mix.
Neighborhood-Level Patterns in Faribault
Faribault's crime activity is not evenly distributed across its roughly 594 residents per square mile. The older commercial corridors near downtown Faribault — particularly along Central Avenue and the blocks adjacent to the Cannon River — tend to see higher concentrations of property incidents, including theft from vehicles and occasional vandalism. These areas draw foot traffic and commerce, which historically correlates with opportunistic property crime.
Residential areas on the north end of the city, particularly neighborhoods near Faribault High School and the surrounding blocks, show a more mixed profile. Community engagement in these areas has historically been strong, with active neighborhood watch participation helping to suppress incident rates. The south end residential zones, near Buckham Memorial Library and the parks along the Cannon River, tend to report fewer incidents overall and are frequently cited by long-term residents as among the calmer parts of the city.
The areas closest to major commercial strips — including stretches near the Highway 60 corridor — see a disproportionate share of retail-related theft and parking lot incidents. This is consistent with what crime mapping shows in similarly sized cities: commercial density creates opportunity, and opportunity drives incident counts.
Economic Context and Its Relationship to Crime
Faribault's crime grade of B exists within a specific economic reality. The city's median household income of $54,832 and a poverty rate of 16.3% — meaningfully above the national average — create conditions that research consistently links to elevated property crime risk. An unemployment rate of 6.7% adds further context. None of these figures excuse or predict individual behavior, but they help explain why certain neighborhoods experience more strain than others.
Median home values of $170,120 and median rents of $914 reflect a relatively affordable housing market, which is a genuine community asset — affordability reduces housing instability, which in turn supports neighborhood cohesion and safety over time.
Using the Faribault Crime Map Effectively
The interactive crime map for Faribault lets you filter incidents by type, date range, and location. Here's how to get the most out of it:
- Start with incident type filters. If you're evaluating a neighborhood for a home purchase or rental, filter specifically for residential burglary and vehicle theft — these are the categories most directly relevant to your property security.
- Look at 90-day rolling windows. Single-month snapshots can be misleading. A 90-day view smooths out anomalies and gives a more reliable picture of persistent patterns.
- Cross-reference with time of day. Many property incidents in Faribault cluster in overnight hours. If the map allows time-of-day filtering, use it to understand whether a neighborhood's incidents are concentrated in predictable windows.
- Don't over-index on raw incident counts. A neighborhood with more reported incidents may simply have more engaged residents who report. Low counts don't always mean low crime — sometimes they reflect low reporting.
How Faribault Compares
A B grade overall means Faribault performs better than a significant portion of U.S. cities when all crime categories are weighed together. For a city with its poverty rate and unemployment figures, that grade reflects genuine community effort — active policing, community programs, and civic investment in neighborhoods like those surrounding the historic downtown and the Cannon River parks. It's not a perfect score, and residents in higher-incident pockets of the north end or commercial corridors feel that gap. But the city-wide picture is one of relative stability, not crisis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions: Faribault, MN Crime & Safety
What is Faribault's overall crime grade?
Faribault receives an overall crime grade of B for 2026. This grade reflects the city's performance across both property and violent crime categories relative to national and state benchmarks. For a city of approximately 23,853 people with a poverty rate of 16.3% and unemployment at 6.7%, a B grade indicates that Faribault is managing crime reasonably well — better than many comparably sized cities facing similar economic headwinds.
What types of crime are most common in Faribault?
Property crime dominates Faribault's incident reports. Theft — including shoplifting and vehicle break-ins — is the single most prevalent category, followed by vandalism and residential burglary. Violent crime, including assault and domestic incidents, occurs but represents a smaller proportion of total reported offenses. This means the practical risk most residents and visitors face is property-related rather than personal safety-related, though situational awareness remains important in any community.
Which neighborhoods in Faribault have the most crime activity?
Crime activity in Faribault is most concentrated in the downtown commercial corridor along Central Avenue and areas near the Highway 60 commercial strip, where retail theft and vehicle break-ins are most frequently reported. The north end residential neighborhoods show a mixed profile, with some blocks experiencing higher incident rates than others. Areas near the Cannon River parks on the south end and the neighborhoods surrounding Buckham Memorial Library tend to be among the quieter parts of the city based on reported incident patterns.
Is Faribault safe to live in?
For most residents, yes — Faribault is a livable, reasonably safe community. Its B overall crime grade reflects a city that, despite real economic challenges (a 16.3% poverty rate and 6.7% unemployment), maintains a manageable safety profile. The median home value of $170,120 and median rent of $914 make it one of the more affordable places to live in the region, and affordability supports neighborhood stability over time. Families, retirees, and working adults make up the bulk of the population of 23,853, and the city's historic downtown, Cannon River greenway, and community events contribute to a strong sense of place that tends to reinforce civic safety.
How does the poverty rate affect crime in Faribault?
Faribault's poverty rate of 16.3% is above the national average and does correlate with elevated property crime risk — a well-documented relationship in criminological research. Higher poverty concentrations can increase economic stress, which drives opportunistic theft and burglary. This is reflected in the incident patterns visible on the crime map, particularly in neighborhoods with lower median incomes. However, a B crime grade shows that poverty alone doesn't determine outcomes — community investment, policing, and civic engagement all play meaningful roles in keeping Faribault's overall safety profile above average.
What can residents do to improve safety in Faribault?
The most effective individual actions align directly with Faribault's actual crime patterns. Since property crime dominates the incident mix, focus on: securing vehicles (never leaving valuables visible), reinforcing door and window locks, using exterior lighting, and participating in neighborhood watch programs — particularly in the north end and downtown-adjacent residential blocks where incident rates are higher. Reporting suspicious activity to the Faribault Police Department promptly also helps law enforcement identify emerging patterns before they escalate.
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