Missouri has seen a slight uptick in crime over the last couple years, according to the 2016 FBI crime reports, though the cities that made our list all come in well under state and national averages for violent crime.
Portageville, our top-ranked city, boasts a property crime rate 84% lower than the national average—it stands in direct contrast to large cities like St. Louis that make the news more often for shootings and robberies. However, St. Louis residents are not taking their city’s safety record lightly. Demonstrators took to the streets in June on a silent march against the gun violence that plagues the area. On a hopeful note, James Clark, the event organizer, said, “We think that working together, we can turn St. Louis around.”
The most effective way to stop crime in any city is to strengthen the community, and the safe cities on our list are great examples of this. All twenty communities have violent crime rates of less than one incident per 1,000 people, with our top three cities experiencing no violent crime whatsoever. Third-ranked Carl Junction begins its safety initiatives early—the city’s schools keep its youngest citizens safe with a hotline for reporting any concerns about bullying or violence.
Even though St. Louis is consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the US, the twenty cities on our list show that there are plenty of safe havens in the Show-Me State. These cities average a violent crime rate that’s 95% lower than the state average and 92% lower than the national average. Property crimes follow a similar trend—58% lower than the state average and 45% lower than national rates.
Check out our Missouri Safety Directory for more information on community safety and preparedness resources.
The 20 Safest Cities in Missouri
- Portageville
Population: 3,131
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.00
Property crimes per 1,000: 4.47
Total crime: 0% violent, 100% property - Chaffee
Population: 2,940
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.00
Property crimes per 1,000: 11.90
Total crime: 0% violent, 100% propert - Carl Junction
Population: 7,780
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.00
Property crimes per 1,000: 16.32
Total crime: 0% violent, 100% property - Pleasant Hill
Population: 8,320
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.12
Property crimes per 1,000: 15.26
Total crime: 0.79% violent, 99.21% property - Greenwood
Population: 5,641
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.18
Property crimes per 1,000: 4.43
Total crime: 4.00% violent, 96.00% property - Manchester
Population: 18,256
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.22
Property crimes per 1,000: 17.80
Total crime: 1.23% violent, 98.77% property - Palmyra
Population: 3,617
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.28
Property crimes per 1,000: 27.09
Total crime: 1.02% violent, 98.98% property - Parkville
Population: 6,450
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.31
Property crimes per 1,000: 15.04
Total crime: 2.06% violent, 97.94% property - Glendale
Population: 5,928
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.34
Property crimes per 1,000: 10.80
Total crime: 3.13% violent, 96.87% property - Town and Country
Population: 11,158
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.36
Property crimes per 1,000: 12.19
Total crime: 2.94% violent, 97.06% property - Ballwin
Population: 30,609
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.36
Property crimes per 1,000: 7.71
Total crime: 4.66% violent, 95.34% property - Cottleville
Population: 5,151
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.39
Property crimes per 1,000: 6.60
Total crime: 5.88% violent, 94.12% property - Peculiar
Population: 4,937
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.41
Property crimes per 1,000: 16.81
Total crime: 2.41% violent, 97.59% property - Seneca
Population: 2,409
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.42
Property crimes per 1,000: 34.04
Total crime: 1.22% violent, 98.78% property - Ladue
Population: 8,612
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.46
Property crimes per 1,000: 10.68
Total crime: 4.35% violent, 95.65% property - Battlefield
Population: 6,083
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.49
Property crimes per 1,000: 14.96
Total crime: 3.30% violent, 96.70% property - Moberly
Population: 13,900
Violent crimes per 1,000: .50
Property crimes per 1,000: 25.61
Total crime: 1.97% violent, 98.03% property - Eureka
Population: 10,681
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.56
Property crimes per 1,000: 17.13
Total crime: 3.28% violent, 96.72% property - Savannah
Population: 5,115
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.59
Property crimes per 1,000: 7.43
Total crime: 7.89% violent, 92.11% property - Bethany
Population: 3,122
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.64
Property crimes per 1,000: 29.79
Total crime: 2.15% violent, 97.85% property
How We Chose the Safest Cities in Missouri
To identify the twenty safest cities in Missouri, we reviewed the 2016 FBI crime report statistics and population data. Cities that fell below identified population thresholds or that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI were excluded from the ranking system.
Our evaluation is based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape,
and robbery) in each city. If there was a tie, we also factored in the number of property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). To level the playing field, we calculated the rate of crimes per 1,000 people in each city. This makes it easier to directly compare the likelihood of these crimes occurring in cities with vastly different populations.
Learn more about how we rank our Safest Cities Reports
How to Make a Safe Home Anywhere
Wherever you live, feeling safe in your home can bring greater peace of mind and happiness. Whether your city made our list or not, we recommend adding extra security to your home with monitored security services provided by the nation’s leading home security providers.
To learn more about the home security options available to you, check out SafeWise’s picks for Best Home Security Systems of 2018.
If you would like to contact a SafeWise Safest Cities Analyst, please email info@safewise.com.
Written by Laura E. Hilton
Laura is a writer, teacher, and mother based out of Utah. She is passionate about making and maintaining strong, safe, healthy communities. To learn more, visit her website at lauraehilton.com. Learn more