Most Dangerous & Safest Counties in Missouri

Missouri has 43 counties with crime data. The county with the highest homicide rate is St. Louis city at 50.6 per 100K , while the safest is St. Charles County at 2.7 per 100K .

13 of 43 counties (30%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100K. All rates are per 100,000 residents and come from County Health Rankings, which compiles data from the CDC, FBI, and other federal sources.

Metric

Most Dangerous Counties in Missouri

Top 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
1 St. Louis city 50.6 per 100K +533.0%
2 Jackson County 23.7 per 100K +196.5%
3 Pemiscot County 22.4 per 100K +179.9%
4 Crawford County 16.9 per 100K +111.5%
5 St. Louis County 16.3 per 100K +103.6%
6 Mississippi County 14.3 per 100K +78.9%
7 Ripley County 12.4 per 100K +55.0%
8 Butler County 9.8 per 100K +22.0%
9 Dunklin County 9.3 per 100K +16.9%
10 New Madrid County 9.3 per 100K +16.3%

Safest Counties in Missouri

Bottom 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
43 St. Charles County 2.7 per 100K -66.8%
42 Taney County 3.1 per 100K -61.6%
41 Newton County 3.2 per 100K -60.5%
40 Camden County 3.2 per 100K -60.3%
39 Christian County 3.4 per 100K -57.8%
38 Lincoln County 3.6 per 100K -54.6%
37 Pettis County 3.7 per 100K -54.0%
36 Johnson County 3.7 per 100K -53.8%
35 Lawrence County 3.7 per 100K -53.5%
34 Pulaski County 3.8 per 100K -52.6%

All 43 Counties Ranked

Every county in Missouri ranked by homicide rate. Click any county for its full profile.

# County Homicides
1 St. Louis city 50.6 per 100K +533.0%
2 Jackson County 23.7 per 100K +196.5%
3 Pemiscot County 22.4 per 100K +179.9%
4 Crawford County 16.9 per 100K +111.5%
5 St. Louis County 16.3 per 100K +103.6%
6 Mississippi County 14.3 per 100K +78.9%
7 Ripley County 12.4 per 100K +55.0%
8 Butler County 9.8 per 100K +22.0%
9 Dunklin County 9.3 per 100K +16.9%
10 New Madrid County 9.3 per 100K +16.3%
11 Texas County 9.0 per 100K +12.4%
12 Benton County 8.8 per 100K +10.0%
13 Buchanan County 8.4 per 100K +5.0%
14 Greene County 6.8 per 100K -15.1%
15 Boone County 6.7 per 100K -16.5%
16 St. Francois County 6.4 per 100K -19.9%
17 Howell County 6.4 per 100K -20.0%
18 McDonald County 6.3 per 100K -21.3%
19 Cole County 6.1 per 100K -23.3%
20 Cape Girardeau County 6.1 per 100K -24.0%
21 Laclede County 6.0 per 100K -25.2%
22 Scott County 6.0 per 100K -25.4%
23 Jasper County 5.4 per 100K -32.4%
24 Stone County 4.9 per 100K -38.2%
25 Phelps County 4.8 per 100K -40.1%
26 Cass County 4.7 per 100K -41.3%
27 Franklin County 4.5 per 100K -43.5%
28 Jefferson County 4.5 per 100K -43.9%
29 Webster County 4.4 per 100K -45.5%
30 Clay County 4.2 per 100K -47.6%
31 Warren County 4.1 per 100K -49.0%
32 Platte County 4.0 per 100K -50.5%
33 Callaway County 3.8 per 100K -52.3%
34 Pulaski County 3.8 per 100K -52.6%
35 Lawrence County 3.7 per 100K -53.5%
36 Johnson County 3.7 per 100K -53.8%
37 Pettis County 3.7 per 100K -54.0%
38 Lincoln County 3.6 per 100K -54.6%
39 Christian County 3.4 per 100K -57.8%
40 Camden County 3.2 per 100K -60.3%
41 Newton County 3.2 per 100K -60.5%
42 Taney County 3.1 per 100K -61.6%
43 St. Charles County 2.7 per 100K -66.8%

About This Data

All figures are estimates from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CDC, FBI, NCHS), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Values are subject to sampling variability and margin of error.

Rankings are within Missouri only and may differ from national rankings. For more information, see our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous county in Missouri?
The county with the highest homicide rate in Missouri is St. Louis city, at 50.6 per 100,000 residents. This is 533% above the national rate of 8 per 100K.
What is the safest county in Missouri?
The county with the lowest homicide rate in Missouri is St. Charles County, at 2.7 per 100,000 residents.
How does Missouri's crime rate compare to the national average?
13 of 43 counties in Missouri (30%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Missouri has the most firearm fatalities?
St. Louis city has the highest firearm fatality rate in Missouri at 57.1 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Missouri has the most drug overdose deaths?
St. Louis city has the highest drug overdose death rate in Missouri at 101.8 per 100,000 residents.