The Minnesota Star Tribune experienced explosive triple-digit growth in website traffic in January 2026, driven by its extensive local coverage of controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the state—including two fatal shootings of Minnesota residents by federal agents.
According to the latest Similarweb data reported by Press Gazette, the Star Tribune recorded 16.3 million visits last month—a 126% increase from December 2025 (month-on-month) and a 67% rise year-on-year. This marked the largest month-on-month traffic surge among the top 30 U.S. news sites.
The spike aligns with heightened public interest in ICE's aggressive enforcement actions, which included the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good in south Minneapolis and the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Pretti in the Whittier neighborhood—incidents that sparked protests, clashes with agents, and widespread scrutiny of federal tactics. The Star Tribune's in-depth reporting on these events, community reactions, and related developments (such as denied access to evidence and agent suspensions) drew significant audiences amid national debates over immigration policy.
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| Courtesy of PressGazette |
In the broader U.S. news landscape, 41 of the top 50 sites saw month-on-month traffic gains, with the Star Tribune outpacing AP News (up 36% to 98.1 million visits) and NBC News (up 35% to 89.4 million). Only ten sites grew year-on-year, led by The Sun (up 70% to 39 million) and The Hill (up 38% to 51 million).
The Star Tribune's year-on-year gain ranked it competitively but behind those leaders.Conversely, major declines hit several outlets: Forbes and LA Times both fell 51% year-on-year (to 60.1 million and 20.9 million visits, respectively), while Newsweek dropped 43% to 45.2 million and posted the biggest month-on-month decline at 17%.
Other notable monthly drops included The Times of India (down 15% to 28.1 million), SF Gate, and New York Post (both down 7%).The Star Tribune's performance highlights how hyper-local, high-stakes reporting on breaking national issues can drive outsized digital growth even for regional publishers.