Missouri ranks #41 of 50 US states by overall crime rate (safest first), placing it in the highest-crime quartile nationally. Its total crime rate is 3,640 per 100,000 residents — 31% above the national average. Safety varies widely by city; the safest reporting city is O'fallon.

Missouri Crime Rate: #10 Most Dangerous State, 69 Cities Ranked

Quick answer

According to crimebycity.com's analysis of FBI crime data, Missouri has a total crime rate of 3,640 per 100,000 residents — 31% above the national average — ranking #41 of 50 US states (safest first), in the highest-crime quartile. Its safest reporting city is O'fallon.

Limited Data Coverage

Our dataset includes 69 reporting cities covering 2,876,885 of Missouri's 6,196,156 residents (46%). Crime rates shown are based on reporting cities only and may not represent the full state. This is common in states transitioning to the newer NIBRS reporting system.

Missouri Crime Overview

Missouri reported a total crime rate of 3,640.4 per 100,000 residents — 31% above the national average of 2,785.9. This ranks Missouri #41 out of 50 states (safest first).

The most elevated crime category in Missouri is murder at 2.0x the national rate.

Compared to the previous year, Missouri's crime rate decreased by 3.1%, with violent crime up 2.5%.

Within the state, O'fallon is the safest city (crime rate: 538), while St. Louis City has the highest rate (7,076) — a 13.1x difference that highlights how much safety can vary within a single state.

For residents, travelers, and those considering a move to Missouri, these statistics provide a data-driven baseline. Browse the city-level table below to find specific communities, or see how Missouri compares to its neighboring states. For the full list of safe and high-crime areas, visit safest cities in Missouri or most dangerous cities in Missouri.

Crime Breakdown

Crime Type	Incidents	Rate per 100K	National Avg
Violent Crime	19,659	683.3	478.2
Murder	372	12.9	6.3
Rape	1,650	57.4	43.8
Robbery	2,737	95.1	94.0
Aggravated Assault	14,887	517.5	333.5
Property Crime	85,071	2,957.1	2,307.7
Burglary	9,755	339.1	292.0
Larceny-Theft	56,072	1,949.1	1,657.7
Motor Vehicle Theft	19,244	668.9	358.0
Arson	0	0.0	0.0

Understanding Missouri's Crime Profile

Of Missouri's total crime rate, 18.8% is violent crime and 81.2% is property crime. Nationally, violent crime makes up 17.2% of all crime, meaning Missouri has a higher-than-average share of violent offenses.

Missouri's murder rate is 12.9 per 100K, which is 2.0x the national rate of 6.3. Murder is the least common but most serious violent crime, and even small differences in rate can reflect meaningful differences in public safety.

These statistics are compiled from 69 cities across the state that report to the FBI's UCR program. Coverage varies by state — so these numbers represent the best available estimate, not a perfect census. For details, see our methodology page.

Property crime accounts for the bulk of Missouri's total rate at 2,957 per 100K. This includes burglary, larceny-theft (the most common crime nationwide), motor vehicle theft, and arson. While property crime is less immediately dangerous than violent crime, high rates can affect quality of life, insurance costs, and economic investment in affected areas.

Cities in Missouri by Crime Rate

Cities ranked from safest to most dangerous (10,000+ residents).

#	City	Coverage	Total Crime Rate	Violent Crime Rate	Safety Score
1	O'fallon	94,911	538.4	59.0	92/100
2	Ballwin	30,171	540.3	56.4	92/100
3	Nixa	26,094	651.5	46.0	87/100
4	Lake St. Louis	19,334	662.1	56.9	87/100
5	Ozark	23,432	763.9	81.1	83/100
6	Webster Groves	23,271	769.2	120.3	83/100
7	Kearney	11,267	825.4	213.0	81/100
8	Wentzville	48,377	853.7	109.6	80/100
9	Smithville	10,888	890.9	183.7	79/100
10	Clayton	17,501	897.1	102.9	79/100
11	Eureka	13,566	995.1	132.7	75/100
12	St. Charles	72,143	1,023.0	135.8	74/100
13	Jackson	15,842	1,117.3	82.1	70/100
14	Troy	15,240	1,122.1	144.4	70/100
15	Marshall	13,591	1,155.2	139.8	68/100
16	Republic	20,578	1,185.7	126.4	67/100
17	Bolivar	11,523	1,197.6	173.6	67/100
18	Festus	13,693	1,212.3	182.6	66/100
19	Raymore	26,124	1,259.4	149.3	65/100
20	St. Peters	59,993	1,265.2	206.7	64/100
21	Town And Country	11,523	1,267.0	26.0	64/100
22	Fulton	12,431	1,295.2	209.2	63/100
23	Moberly	13,206	1,340.3	318.0	62/100
24	Manchester	17,912	1,345.5	44.7	62/100
25	Chesterfield	48,907	1,382.2	96.1	61/100
26	Grain Valley	16,930	1,405.8	177.2	60/100
27	Carthage	15,549	1,459.9	173.6	58/100
28	Washington	15,707	1,496.2	254.7	57/100
29	Maryland Heights	27,351	1,499.0	168.2	57/100
30	Monett	10,133	1,529.7	128.3	56/100
31	Crestwood	12,103	1,586.4	99.2	54/100
32	Kirkwood	29,082	1,609.2	213.2	53/100
33	St. Ann	12,547	1,617.9	406.5	52/100
34	Liberty	30,986	1,775.0	203.3	47/100
35	Creve Coeur	18,340	1,881.1	163.6	44/100
36	West Plains	12,734	2,167.4	361.2	36/100
37	Florissant	50,695	2,173.8	341.3	36/100
38	Belton	26,058	2,206.6	333.9	35/100
39	Webb City	13,406	2,349.7	223.8	32/100
40	Kirksville	17,472	2,352.3	417.8	32/100
41	Jefferson City	42,561	2,373.1	333.6	31/100
42	Neosho	13,581	2,415.1	272.4	30/100
43	Lee's Summit	105,053	2,443.5	149.5	30/100
44	Lebanon	15,567	2,473.2	417.6	29/100
45	Columbia	130,354	2,666.6	349.1	25/100
46	Blue Springs	61,096	2,684.3	235.7	25/100
47	Overland	15,358	2,715.2	533.9	24/100
48	Union	13,209	2,717.8	393.7	24/100
49	Excelsior Springs	10,621	2,721.0	329.5	24/100
50	Hannibal	16,762	2,762.2	358.0	23/100
51	Rolla	20,591	2,913.9	374.0	21/100
52	Warrensburg	19,785	2,936.6	313.4	21/100
53	Hazelwood	24,678	3,010.8	490.3	19/100
54	Farmington	18,574	3,074.2	323.0	19/100
55	Cape Girardeau	40,753	3,079.5	623.3	18/100
56	Sedalia	22,201	3,180.0	545.0	17/100
57	Bellefontaine Neighbors	10,263	3,692.9	945.1	11/100
58	Independence	120,271	4,095.8	572.0	8/100
59	Ferguson	17,835	4,210.8	712.1	7/100
60	Grandview	25,200	4,460.3	678.6	6/100
61	St. Joseph	70,139	4,579.5	728.6	5/100
62	Raytown	28,817	4,601.5	864.1	5/100
63	Sikeston	16,026	4,654.9	1,029.6	5/100
64	Joplin	53,533	4,681.2	560.4	5/100
65	Springfield	170,527	5,364.0	1,179.3	3/100
66	Kansas City	511,437	6,224.4	1,547.4	2/100
67	Bridgeton	11,206	6,407.3	651.4	1/100
68	Branson	12,982	6,493.6	477.6	1/100
69	St. Louis City	277,294	7,075.9	1,368.9	1/100

Missouri Crime Rate Trends

Year	Coverage	Total Crime Rate	Violent Crime Rate	Property Crime Rate
2024	2,876,885	3,640.4	683.3	2,957.1
2023	2,863,630	3,756.8	666.6	3,090.2
2022	2,900,915	4,169.7	715.9	3,453.8
2021	2,839,208	4,170.4	765.6	3,404.8
2020	2,823,563	4,530.9	837.2	3,693.8
2019	2,548,240	4,620.4	808.1	3,812.4

Missouri Crime Trends: 6-Year Analysis

Over the 6-year period from 2019 to 2024, Missouri's total crime rate decreased by 21.2%, moving from 4,620 to 3,640 per 100,000 residents. This long-term trajectory provides important context beyond any single year's snapshot.

In the most recent year-over-year comparison, Missouri's crime rate decreased by 3.1%, with violent crime specifically increasing 2.5%. Short-term changes don't always indicate a lasting trend, but consecutive years of movement in the same direction are worth noting.

Many factors can influence year-over-year changes, including shifts in policing strategies, economic conditions, population growth, and changes in how agencies report data to the FBI. For the most reliable picture, focus on the multi-year trend rather than any single year's change.

Missouri vs Neighboring States

How does Missouri's crime rate compare to its neighbors?

State	Total Crime Rate	Violent Crime Rate	Property Crime Rate	vs Missouri
Missouri	3,640.4	683.3	2,957.1	—
Iowa	2,397.2	350.8	2,046.4	-34.2%
Illinois	2,486.1	356.9	2,129.2	-31.7%
Kansas	2,717.9	483.9	2,234.0	-25.3%
Nebraska	2,778.5	312.5	2,466.0	-23.7%
Kentucky	2,816.8	380.4	2,436.4	-22.6%
Oklahoma	2,983.5	533.0	2,450.4	-18.0%
Arkansas	3,626.3	777.0	2,849.3	-0.4%
Tennessee	4,198.5	916.8	3,281.7	+15.3%

Among neighboring states, Iowa has the lowest crime rate (2,397 per 100K). Tennessee has the highest (4,198 per 100K).

Missouri in Regional Context

Missouri is safer than 1 of its 8 neighboring states based on total crime rate. Nationally, it ranks #41 out of 50 states (ranked safest first), placing it in the highest-crime quartile of all US states.

Regional comparisons are valuable because neighboring states often share economic conditions, climate, and demographic patterns. If Missouri differs significantly from its neighbors, it may point to state-specific factors such as policing policy, drug legislation, or economic programs. Visit individual state pages above for detailed comparisons.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Missouri's crime rate?

Missouri's total crime rate is 3,640.4 per 100,000 residents, which is 31% above the national average of 2,786. This includes both violent crime (683.3 per 100K) and property crime (2,957.1 per 100K).

How safe is Missouri compared to other states?

Missouri ranks #41 out of 50 states (safest first), placing it in the highest-crime quartile nationally. Visit our all states page for the complete ranking.

What is the safest city in Missouri?

The safest city in Missouri is O'fallon with a crime rate of 538 per 100,000 residents. View the full list at safest cities in Missouri.

More Missouri Crime Data

Dive deeper into Missouri's crime statistics with our specialized ranking pages, or compare Missouri cities against cities in other states using our comparison tool.

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Missouri Crime Rate & Safety