Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Missouri?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in Missouri.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Show Me State for 2020:
- St. Louis (Photos)
- Vinita Park
- Kansas City (Photos)
- Raytown (Photos)
- Bellefontaine Neighbors (Photos)
- Florissant (Photos)
- Grandview (Photos)
- Caruthersville (Photos)
- Cape Girardeau (Photos)
- Shrewsbury
The city with highest murder rate in Missouri? That would be Vinita Park with 118.1 murders per 100,000 people.
While the city with highest number of murders period? St. Louis with 187.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. There were ‘only’ 39 cities in Missouri where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 78 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Show Me State check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Missouri
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Missouri
- 10 Most Dangerous Cities in Missouri
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Missouri For 2020
St. Louis is an independent city and major U.S. port in the state of Missouri, built along the western bank of the Mississippi River, on the border with Illinois. The city had an estimated 2016 population of 311,404, and is the cultural and economic center of the Greater St. Louis area, making it the largest metropolitan area in Missouri and the 19th-largest in the United States.
/10
Population: 11,003
Rank Last Year: 20
Murders: 13 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 118.1 (1st Most)
More on Vinita Park: Data
Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had an estimated population of 481,420 in 2016, making it the 37th largest city by population in the United States. It is the central city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Kansas-Missouri border. Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a Missouri River port at its confluence with the Kansas River coming in from the west. On June 1, 1850 the town of Kansas was incorporated; shortly after came the establishment of the Kansas Territory. Confusion between the two ensued and the name Kansas City was assigned to distinguish them soon thereafter.
Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City. The population was at 29,526 in 2010 census. The mayor of Raytown is Michael McDonough.
Bellefontaine Neighbors is an inner-ring suburb city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,860 at the 2010 census. At 22 letters, it has the longest name of any incorporated place in the United States.
Florissant ) is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in northern St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The city had a total population of 52,158 in the 2010 census, making it the 12th-largest city in Missouri.
Grandview is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 24,475 at the 2010 census.
Caruthersville is a city in and the county seat of Pemiscot County, Missouri, United States, located along the Mississippi River in the Bootheel region of the state’s far southeast. The population was 6,168, according to the 2010 Census.
Cape Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as “Cape”) is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is located approximately 115 miles southeast of St. Louis and 175 miles north of Memphis. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city’s population was 37,941, making it the 16th-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Southeast Missouri. An emerging college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri State University.
/10
Population: 6,108
Rank Last Year: 67
Murders: 2 (21st Most)
Murders Per 100k: 32.7 (5th Most)
More on Shrewsbury: Data
Shrewsbury is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 6,254 at the 2010 census.
How we calculated the murder capitals of Missouri
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report which summarizes the number of murders that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked every single city in Missouri for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 39 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city. You can download the data here.
We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis.
There You Have It – The Places With The Most Murders In Missouri For 2020
If you’re looking at the places in Missouri with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
For more missouri reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Missouri
- These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Missouri
- 10 Safest Places In Missouri
- 10 Best Cities For Singles In Missouri
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Missouri
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Missouri For 2020
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis, MO | 187.0 |
| 2 | Vinita Park, MO | 13.0 |
| 3 | Kansas City, MO | 137.0 |
| 4 | Raytown, MO | 7.0 |
| 5 | Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO | 4.0 |
| 6 | Florissant, MO | 7.0 |
| 7 | Grandview, MO | 4.0 |
| 8 | Caruthersville, MO | 2.0 |
| 9 | Cape Girardeau, MO | 5.0 |
| 10 | Shrewsbury, MO | 2.0 |
| 11 | Springfield, MO | 16.0 |
| 12 | St. Joseph, MO | 8.0 |
| 13 | St. Charles, MO | 7.0 |
| 14 | Jefferson City, MO | 5.0 |
| 15 | Independence, MO | 10.0 |
| 16 | Moberly, MO | 2.0 |
| 17 | Lebanon, MO | 2.0 |
| 18 | Sikeston, MO | 2.0 |
| 19 | Poplar Bluff, MO | 2.0 |
| 20 | Waynesville, MO | 1.0 |
| 21 | St. John, MO | 1.0 |
| 22 | Ferguson, MO | 2.0 |
| 23 | Blue Springs, MO | 4.0 |
| 24 | Dexter, MO | 1.0 |
| 25 | Columbia, MO | 5.0 |
| 26 | Hazelwood, MO | 2.0 |
| 27 | Warrenton, MO | 1.0 |
| 28 | Maryland Heights, MO | 2.0 |
| 29 | Gladstone, MO | 2.0 |
| 30 | Clinton, MO | 1.0 |
| 31 | Kirkwood, MO | 2.0 |
| 32 | Bridgeton, MO | 1.0 |
| 33 | Union, MO | 1.0 |
| 34 | Lee’s Summit, MO | 2.0 |
| 35 | Marshall, MO | 1.0 |
| 36 | St. Ann, MO | 1.0 |
| 37 | Warrensburg, MO | 1.0 |
| 38 | Sedalia, MO | 1.0 |
| 39 | University City, MO | 1.0 |
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