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.
To find the cities in Missouri with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 48 cities in the Show Me State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Missouri
- Vinita Park
- Berkeley
- St. Louis
- Normandy
- Ferguson
- Hazelwood
- Kansas City
- Perryville
- Grandview
- Overland
What city has the highest murder rate in Missouri? The city with the highest murder rate in Missouri is Vinita Park with 101.7 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 200 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Missouri ranked. There were ‘only’ 48 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:
- Best Places To Live In Missouri
- Cheapest Places To Live In Missouri
- Most Dangerous Cities in Missouri
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Missouri For 2024
1. Vinita Park
/10
Population: 8,852
Murders: 9 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 101.7 (Most)
More on Vinita Park: Crime
/10
Population: 8,078
Murders: 6 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 74.3 (2nd Most)
More on Berkeley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 286,053
Murders: 200 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 69.9 (3rd Most)
More on St. Louis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 18,178
Murders: 9 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 49.5 (5th Most)
More on Ferguson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 25,029
Murders: 12 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 47.9 (6th Most)
More on Hazelwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 508,856
Murders: 166 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 32.6 (7th Most)
More on Kansas City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 8,458
Murders: 2 (23rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 23.6 (8th Most)
More on Perryville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 25,542
Murders: 5 (13th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.6 (9th Most)
More on Grandview: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 15,632
Murders: 3 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.2 (10th Most)
More on Overland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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 wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare 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 in each city annually.
We only looked at 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 48 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Vinita Park. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Missouri. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Missouri For 2024
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.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Missouri are Vinita Park, Berkeley, St. Louis, Normandy, Ferguson, Hazelwood, Kansas City, Perryville, Grandview, and Overland.
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
Murder Rates By City In Missouri
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vinita Park, MO | 8852 | 9 | 101.67 |
| 2 | Berkeley, MO | 8078 | 6 | 74.28 |
| 3 | St. Louis, MO | 286053 | 200 | 69.92 |
| 4 | Normandy, MO | 8653 | 6 | 69.34 |
| 5 | Ferguson, MO | 18178 | 9 | 49.51 |
| 6 | Hazelwood, MO | 25029 | 12 | 47.94 |
| 7 | Kansas City, MO | 508856 | 166 | 32.62 |
| 8 | Perryville, MO | 8458 | 2 | 23.65 |
| 9 | Grandview, MO | 25542 | 5 | 19.58 |
| 10 | Overland, MO | 15632 | 3 | 19.19 |
| 11 | Caruthersville, MO | 5212 | 1 | 19.19 |
| 12 | Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO | 10524 | 2 | 19.0 |
| 13 | Trenton, MO | 5581 | 1 | 17.92 |
| 14 | Raytown, MO | 29224 | 5 | 17.11 |
| 15 | Joplin, MO | 51989 | 8 | 15.39 |
| 16 | Aurora, MO | 7329 | 1 | 13.64 |
| 17 | Marshfield, MO | 7605 | 1 | 13.15 |
| 18 | Sikeston, MO | 16024 | 2 | 12.48 |
| 19 | Maplewood, MO | 8117 | 1 | 12.32 |
| 20 | Hannibal, MO | 17028 | 2 | 11.75 |
| 21 | Springfield, MO | 169822 | 17 | 10.01 |
| 22 | Cape Girardeau, MO | 40067 | 4 | 9.98 |
| 23 | Independence, MO | 121255 | 12 | 9.9 |
| 24 | Excelsior Springs, MO | 10608 | 1 | 9.43 |
| 25 | Columbia, MO | 127862 | 11 | 8.6 |
| 26 | West Plains, MO | 12252 | 1 | 8.16 |
| 27 | St. Ann, MO | 12788 | 1 | 7.82 |
| 28 | Fulton, MO | 12792 | 1 | 7.82 |
| 29 | Neosho, MO | 12864 | 1 | 7.77 |
| 30 | Festus, MO | 13036 | 1 | 7.67 |
| 31 | Moberly, MO | 13998 | 1 | 7.14 |
| 32 | Kirkwood, MO | 29276 | 2 | 6.83 |
| 33 | Lebanon, MO | 15143 | 1 | 6.6 |
| 34 | Grain Valley, MO | 16320 | 1 | 6.13 |
| 35 | University City, MO | 34326 | 2 | 5.83 |
| 36 | Lee’s Summit, MO | 103976 | 6 | 5.77 |
| 37 | Kirksville, MO | 17515 | 1 | 5.71 |
| 38 | St. Joseph, MO | 70918 | 4 | 5.64 |
| 39 | Manchester, MO | 18142 | 1 | 5.51 |
| 40 | Republic, MO | 19481 | 1 | 5.13 |
| 41 | Blue Springs, MO | 60093 | 3 | 4.99 |
| 42 | Jefferson City, MO | 42653 | 2 | 4.69 |
| 43 | Ozark, MO | 22447 | 1 | 4.45 |
| 44 | Webster Groves, MO | 23598 | 1 | 4.24 |
| 45 | Florissant, MO | 51565 | 2 | 3.88 |
| 46 | O’Fallon, MO | 95689 | 2 | 2.09 |
| 47 | St. Peters, MO | 58584 | 1 | 1.71 |
| 48 | St. Charles, MO | 71079 | 1 | 1.41 |