The SafeWise Team is pleased to release the eighth annual Safest Cities report.
Missouri’s 20 Safest Cities of 2022

Here are the 10 Safest Cities in Missouri for 2022
See if your city made the full list.
In our latest State of Safety survey, people in Missouri worried about their safety on a daily basis (46%) almost as much as most Americans (47%)—even with higher crime rates than most states. This is a big increase since last year's survey, when 37% of Missourians had daily concerns about personal safety.
Missouri's violent crime rates made a jump since last year, putting the state above the national average. Still, The Show Me State's safest cities have lower-than-average crime rates compared to the state.
In this report
2022 Missouri crime rates
Missouri has had the highest crime rates in the West North Central region for both violent crime and property crime for three years now. While violent crime went up in Missouri from 5.0 per 1,000 to 5.4, property crimes decreased from 26.6 per 1,000 to 25.3. Still, Missouri had the ninth-highest property crime rate nationally.

Image: SafeWise
Level of concern and experience with crime in Missouri
State of Safety survey respondents in Missouri worried more frequently about their safety than last year—bringing the state just below the national average. While experiences with property crime (26%) and gun violence (11%) have grown since last year, those surveyed showed the most concern about package theft.

Image: SafeWise. Past 12 months=12 months prior to survey.
Crime concerns in Missouri
We asked Missouri residents which crimes they worry may happen to them. See if Missouri residents are concerned about the same crime issues as the rest of the country.

Image: SafeWise
View the complete 2022 State of Safety report.
Violent crime in Missouri: Fear vs. reality
Survey responses in Missouri reflect the state's above-average violent crime rate with fewer than half of residents feeling safe in the state. Higher percentages of personal experiences with gun violence could play a role in this mentality.
- 46% of survey respondents in Missouri reported feeling safe in their state compared to 55% of Americans.
- 12% of Missourians reported having a personal experience with violent crime in the past 12 months—down from 13% the last year.
- 95% of Missouri’s safest cities reported no murders.
- 15 (75%) of the safest cities in The Show Me State reported violent crime incidents in the single digits.
- 31% of survey participants report using some form of personal protection—making Missourians less likely to do this than the national average of 34%.
- 40% of Missouri residents say their personal safety has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic compared to 44% of Americans.

Image: SafeWise
Attitudes about gun violence in Missouri
- 64% of Missouri residents cited gun violence as a top safety concern—much higher than the US average of 53%.
- 11% of survey participants reported an experience with gun violence in the last 12 months, an increase from the last year (8%).
- There were 17 mass shootings in Missouri in the reporting year, down from the year before (22).
- 35% of those surveyed are most worried about a gun violence incident happening to them (US 38%).
Property crime in Missouri: Fear vs. reality
Missouri has the ninth-highest property crime rate in the country this year. This lines up with surveyed residents reporting an increase in personal experiences with property crime. On the whole, the state saw slightly fewer property crimes per 1,000 people year over year.
- Compared to the last year (22%), a greater number of Missourians reported personal experiences with property crime this reporting year (26%).
- 18% of participants reported experiencing package theft in the last 12 months, putting Missouri below the US average of 20%.
- Even though The Show Me State’s property crime rate is higher than average, it’s trending downward like most of the US.
- 51% of Missouri residents surveyed use some form of property protection. This is below the 60% national average.
- The top form of property protection in Missouri this year was home security systems with 25% of survey respondents using them. This matches the national average.
- 26% of Missourians say the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the security of their property—this is lower than the US average of 29%.
Image: SafeWise
A closer look at the safest cities in Missouri
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.
- Even though the statewide violent crime rate is higher, the safest cities all reported fewer than 1.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents.
- The top two cities, Cottleville and Higginsville, reported 0 violent crimes.
- O’Fallon, the most populous city, accounts for about 44% of the total violent crimes reported among the safest cities. But per capita, it doesn’t have the highest violent crime rate in the top 20 list.
- Motor vehicle thefts saw the biggest increase (100+) year over year among the safest cities, reflecting US trends during the pandemic.
- The safest cities averaged 10.1 property crimes per 1,000 residents. This is much lower than the statewide rate of 25.3.

Image: SafeWise
The 20 safest cities in Missouri

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Population6,002
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Median Income$108,036
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.0, 0.9, 0.9
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 20204.8, 6.2, 2.6
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population4,589
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Median Income$45,921
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.0, 0.7, 0.7
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 20207.6, 9.6, 12.6
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population5,859
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Median Income$140,184
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.3, 0.2, 0.5
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 20207.2, 9.7, 5.4
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population5,905
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Median Income$91,299
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20201.4, N/A, N/A
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 20203.9, N/A, N/A
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population30,044
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Median Income$98,750
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.6, N/A, 0.3
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 20208.5, N/A, 8.1
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population5,240
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Median Income$49,042
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20201.0, 0.2, 1.2
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 20207.3, 8.3, 11.0
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population6,739
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Median Income$61,373
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20201.2, 0.0, 0.2
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 20206.2, 11.3, 6.6
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population4,615
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Median Income$83,398
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.2, 1.3, 0.7
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202011.9, 13.6, 11.5
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population11,550
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Median Income$34,258
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.5, 0.7, 0.6
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202010.7, 11.2, 14.4
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population4,987
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Median Income$53,352
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.8, 1.4, 0.8
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 20209.6, 11.6, 10.0
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population22,924
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Median Income$58,402
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20201.2, 1.3, 1.2
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 20208.6, 9.4, 11.5
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population11,164
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Median Income$85,561
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.4, 0.7, 0.6
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202013.3, 10.2, 14.5
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population5,157
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Median Income$49,083
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20201.0, N/A, 4.6
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202011.2, N/A, 8.5
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population8,299
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Median Income$64,398
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20201.2, 2.1, 2.0
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202010.1, 16.8, 25.4
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population8,627
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Median Income$214,875
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.3, 0.9, 0.6
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202015.1, 16.5, 13.0
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population9,927
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Median Income$79,563
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20201.3, 1.4, 1.0
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202010.6, 12.4, 10.4
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population89,698
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Median Income$92,827
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20201.2, 1.3, 1.6
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202011.4, 11.3, 10.7
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population11,142
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Median Income$192,983
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.7, N/A, 1.5
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202014.0, N/A, 11.8
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population11,032
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Median Income$111,058
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20200.7, N/A, 1.0
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202015.5, N/A, 12.2
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

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Population7,135
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Median Income$47,833
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VC Rate 2022, 2021, 20201.1, N/A, 1.1
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PC Rate 2022, 2021, 202013.9, N/A, 6.3
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VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
How we determined the safest cities
Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.
How to make a safe home anywhere
Whether your city made our list or not, we encourage everyone to be proactive about home security. One of the best ways to stop a burglary before it happens is to add a home security system.
Find out which companies we recommend for every budget and lifestyle in our roundup of the Best Home Security Systems—and learn the basics with our guide on Everything You Need to Know About Home Security.
Find security and safety resources in your area
Compare the best home security systems
Info current as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. See ADT disclaimer
Didn't find your city in the top 20?
We calculated crime rates for every city in the state that met our population threshold, based on the state’s median population as calculated using FBI data. To request a report of the remaining cities in your state, sign up for our email newsletter or email info@safewise.com with the subject line: Safest Cities Full Report.
NOTE: If you don’t see your city on the list, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2020.
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Find the safest cities in each state
Click on the state image or dropdown menu below to check out the safest cities for each state.
Related articles on SafeWise
Sources
FBI: Crime Data Explorer, Accessed March 8, 2022.
US Census Bureau, "Data Explorer," Accessed January 24, 2022.
Best Places, “Find a Place Search Tool,” Accessed January 24, 2022.
SafeWise, “2021 State of Safety survey,” Accessed March 8, 2022.
Gun Violence Archive, “Past Summary Ledgers,” Accessed January 24, 2022.
Gun Violence Archive, “General Methodology,” Accessed March 8, 2022.
Melody Hicks, Ben Stickle, Joshua Harms, American Journal of Criminal Justice, “Assessing the Fear of Package Theft,” January 04, 2021. Accessed March 8, 2022.
For definitions and more on data sources, see our methodology page.
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