An uptick in violent carjackings in recent months has left Twin Cities residents on edge. But while the trend has affected urban and suburban communities throughout the metro area, the frequency of these crimes differs from place to place.

In St. Paul, carjackings decreased through much of last year before bouncing up in the final three months. Significant concentrations of the roughly 100 carjackings occurred on or near major roads and highways like University Avenue, I-94 and I-35E, reaching nearly every part of the capital city.

Neighboring Minneapolis had more than six times as many successful or attempted carjackings as St. Paul throughout last year. January, February and May hovered around 14 carjackings per month in St. Paul, while other months recorded fewer. In November alone, Minneapolis clocked more than a hundred carjacking incidents, surpassing St. Paul's yearly total within a single month.