Which Missouri city is the most dangerous? Is it St. Louis or Springfield? I’ve heard narratives on both sides of the issue, but decided to dig deep to see what the truth is. What I’ve learned is it’s a very complicated issue and really depends on what type of crime you’re most concerned about.
Instead of just trusting one source or one metric, I wanted numbers for violent and property crime from multiple places. This is the result of that quest. I will break this down into the two most common types of crime: violent and property. What I’ve learned is interesting.
St. Louis vs Springfield, Missouri violent crime
According to the most recent full year of data (2024), Best Places shows St. Louis is more dangerous when it comes to violent crime:
- St. Louis ranks 86.8 on the violent crime scale
- St. Louis has a crime index of 69
- Springfield ranks lower at 62.4
- Springfield has a crime index of 59
- Most common online comments about crime in St. Louis include “worry about being mugged”, “car theft” and “physical attacks” from Numbeo
- Springfield, Missouri named one of the top 100 most dangerous cities by Neighborhood Scout
Conclusion: St. Louis approximately 28% more dangerous for violent crime
Springfield versus St. Louis, Missouri property crime
According to the most recent full year of data (2024), Springfield is more dangerous for property crime than St. Louis:
- Springfield scores 95.4 in property crime
- St. Louis scores lower at 85.1 in property crime
- Chance of property crime victimization in Springfield: 1 in 24
- Vehicle theft rate in Springfield: 1 in 174 chance according to Neighborhood Scout
Conclusion: Springfield has a bigger problem with property crime than St. Louis…