Missouri’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

In our latest State of Safety survey, the percentage of Missouri residents who experienced crime first-hand or worried about it on a daily basis often fell above nationwide averages. But The Show Me State has reason to celebrate, with residents reporting declines in gun violence and property crime experiences.

Many of Missouri's 10 safest cities also saw impressive decreases in crime. One even lowered its violent crime rate by nearly 90% year over year. 

The violent crime rate in Missouri is 6.15 incidents per 1,000 people, which is higher than the national average of 4.43. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, Missouri reported a lower violent crime rate of 5.6.

Property crime in The Show Me State also increased in recent years, rising from 24.4 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 28.74 incidents in this year's report. That's higher than the national property crime rate of 22.89. 

Missourians who took our State of Safety survey report a slightly higher confidence level than the year before. About 36% say they feel safe in the state, up from 35%.

Missourians' reported experiences with property crime and package theft increased year over year, but they felt increasingly concerned about these crimes during the same time period.

• 26% of Missourians told us they experienced a property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down slightly from 27% the previous year (US 21%). 
• Concern about property crime dropped from 55% to 48% year over year (US 46%).
• 36% of participants reported experiencing package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey, up from 30% the year before (US 31%).
• The percentage of Missourians who worry about package theft on a daily basis fell from 52% to 46% (US 44%).
• Missouri residents prefer to protect their property with security cameras (56%), security systems (36%), and guard dogs (36%).
• 37% of Missourians say they increased the security/safety measures of their property in the 12 months prior to our survey.

Missourians reported an uptick in violent crime experiences year over year, and they became increasingly worried about violent crime in the same time period. 

• 15% of Missourians reported having a personal experience with violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, up from 14% the year before (US 12%).
• The percentage of Missourians who worry about violent crime on a daily basis increased from 59% to 62% year over year (US 55%).
• 26% of survey participants report using some form of personal protection.
• Missouri residents prefer to protect themselves with pepper spray (54%), pocket knives (50%), and firearms (38%).

• 62% of Missouri residents cited gun violence as a safety concern—up from 52% the year before (US 55%).
• 8% of survey participants reported an experience with gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey.
• Reported experiences with gun violence are lower than the year before (9% to 8%).
• There were 11 mass shootings in Missouri in 2025, down from 22 the year before.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 136 cities met the criteria for ranking this year.
• Cottleville is this year's safest city in Missouri.
• Most property crime rates are higher than violent crime rates, but Holts Summit reported the opposite trend: its violent crime rate (0.9) is higher than its property crime rate (0.2).
• Warrenton made the biggest jump up the list this year, leaping 55 positions to land at #10. This city decreased its violent crime rate by 89% and its property crime rate by 75%. 
• Cottleville, O'Fallon, and Ballwin saw year over year decreases in both violent crime and property crime.
• Glendale reported zero aggravated assaults and burglaries.
• Cottleville and Poplar Bluff reported no rapes.
• No larceny-thefts were reported in Holts Summit. 

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