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 2023:
What city has the highest murder rate in Missouri? The city with the highest murder rate in Missouri is Berkeley with 67.7 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Missouri with highest number of murders? The city in Missouri with the highest number of murders is St. Louis with 189 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Missouri ranked. There were ‘only’ 50 cities in Missouri where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 74 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Show Me State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Missouri
- Cheapest Places To Live In Missouri
- Most Dangerous Cities in Missouri
Article Table Of Contents
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Missouri For 2023
/10
Population: 295,536
Rank Last Year: 1
Murders: 189 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 64.0 (2nd Most)
More on St. Louis: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 500,965
Rank Last Year: 3
Murders: 156 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 31.1 (5th Most)
More on Kansas City: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 8,868
Rank Last Year: –
Murders: 6 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 67.7 (Most)
More on Berkeley: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 20,454
Rank Last Year: 4
Murders: 7 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 34.2 (4th Most)
More on Ferguson: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 10,910
Rank Last Year: 2
Murders: 5 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 45.8 (3rd Most)
More on Vinita Park: Data | Crime Report
/10
Population: 16,927
Rank Last Year: 6
Murders: 4 (13th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 23.6 (8th Most)
More on Poplar Bluff: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 9,946
Rank Last Year: 37
Murders: 3 (18th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.2 (6th Most)
More on Kennett: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 168,988
Rank Last Year: 10
Murders: 19 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.2 (26th Most)
More on Springfield: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 15,931
Rank Last Year: 26
Murders: 3 (18th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.8 (11th Most)
More on Sikeston: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 17,666
Rank Last Year: 42
Murders: 3 (18th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.0 (12th Most)
More on Kirksville: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Methodology: 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 50 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.
This article is an opinion based on facts. It is our tenth time ranking the most places with the most murders per capita in Missouri and is updated for 2023.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Missouri For 2023
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:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Missouri
- Fastest Growing Cities In Missouri
- Safest Places In Missouri
- Best Cities For Singles In Missouri
- Worst Places To Live In Missouri
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Missouri For 2023
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis, MO | 189 |
| 2 | Kansas City, MO | 156 |
| 3 | Berkeley, MO | 6 |
| 4 | Ferguson, MO | 7 |
| 5 | Vinita Park, MO | 5 |
| 6 | Poplar Bluff, MO | 4 |
| 7 | Kennett, MO | 3 |
| 8 | Springfield, MO | 19 |
| 9 | Sikeston, MO | 3 |
| 10 | Kirksville, MO | 3 |
| 11 | Joplin, MO | 6 |
| 12 | Normandy, MO | 2 |
| 13 | Parkville, MO | 2 |
| 14 | St. Joseph, MO | 7 |
| 15 | University City, MO | 4 |
| 16 | Belton, MO | 3 |
| 17 | Branson, MO | 2 |
| 18 | Florissant, MO | 5 |
| 19 | Grandview, MO | 3 |
| 20 | Independence, MO | 8 |
| 21 | Hazelwood, MO | 3 |
| 22 | Washington, MO | 2 |
| 23 | Lebanon, MO | 2 |
| 24 | Overland, MO | 2 |
| 25 | Raytown, MO | 3 |
| 26 | Caruthersville, MO | 1 |
| 27 | Columbia, MO | 6 |
| 28 | St. Peters, MO | 4 |
| 29 | Bonne Terre, MO | 1 |
| 30 | Dexter, MO | 1 |
| 31 | Brentwood, MO | 1 |
| 32 | Nevada, MO | 1 |
| 33 | Warrenton, MO | 1 |
| 34 | Cape Girardeau, MO | 2 |
| 35 | Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO | 1 |
| 36 | Bolivar, MO | 1 |
| 37 | Bridgeton, MO | 1 |
| 38 | Blue Springs, MO | 2 |
| 39 | Neosho, MO | 1 |
| 40 | Lee’s Summit, MO | 2 |
| 41 | Fulton, MO | 1 |
| 42 | Moberly, MO | 1 |
| 43 | Jackson, MO | 1 |
| 44 | Republic, MO | 1 |
| 45 | Warrensburg, MO | 1 |
| 46 | Sedalia, MO | 1 |
| 47 | Raymore, MO | 1 |
| 48 | Nixa, MO | 1 |
| 49 | Maryland Heights, MO | 1 |
| 50 | O’Fallon, MO | 1 |
