Embed Gallery
Here at the Movoto Real Estate Blog, we pride ourselves on being up to date with what’s going on in cities across the nation, from where people are the most patriotic right down to which places are the hairiest. You know, the important things.
So, when the FBI released the most recent and updated crime numbers across the nation (actually important), you know we jumped on this like a cop on a robber. So far we’ve looked at the updated numbers in places like North Carolina and Kentucky, and today, we’re heading to Missouri.
Which place was the safest in the Show Me State for 2015? That honor goes to Chesterfield.
Here are the 10 safest places in Missouri, according to the latest numbers from the FBI:
1. City of Chesterfield
2. City of Manchester
3. City of Clayton
4. City of Creve Coeur
5. City of Lake St. Louis
6. City of Grain Valley
7. City of Eureka
8. City of Nixa
9. City of Crestwood
10. City of Jackson
If you saw our last list of safest places in Missouri, no doubt you’ll recognize some of these places. In the following section we’ll explain how we came up with these rankings, and then we’ll go over both our old and new safest cities.
Our Methodology
As we mentioned earlier, the FBI recently released its 2013 Uniform Crime Report. With these updated numbers, we looked at all of the places in Missouri with populations 10,000 people or more in terms of the following criteria:
- Murders
- Rapes
- Robberies
- Assaults
- Burglaries
- Thefts
- Vehicle Thefts
We then divided these into four categories…
- Murders
- Violent Crimes
- Property Crimes
- Total Crimes
…And then we calculated the number of crimes per person for each of our 74 places, in order to best compare both large and small places. We ranked each place with a score from 1 to 74 in each of the four categories.
Next, we weighted these rankings so that murders, violent crimes, and property crimes made up 30 percent of the overall score, while the total number of crimes made up just 10 percent.
Finally, we weighted these rankings into one Big Deal Score, where the lowest score went to our safest place. That’s you, Chesterfield!
At the end of the post, we’ve included a table showing the top 50 safest places in Missouri—but first, we’re going to “Show You” the top 10 in more detail.
1. Chesterfield
Congratulations to Chesterfield, not only for making our list two years in a row, but for jumping from third place to first (dethroning last year’s winner, Town and Country). Like the rest of the places in our top 10, Chesterfield had no murders in 2013—but the reason it stood out was for its particularly low number of violent crimes overall.
With just 25 violent crimes and a population of 47,744 residents, Chesterfield had the second fewest violent crimes per person. It also had the seventh fewest property crimes per person, all adding up to a total of 710 crimes, .015 crimes per person, or to make it simpler, the seventh fewest crimes per person in the state.
Well done, Chesterfield!
2. Manchester
This little city that feels like a small town boasts a “proud past and a bright future” on its website, and with low crime rates like these, it’s no wonder why. For example, Manchester had just nine total violent crimes for all of 2013. With 18,187 people, this gave it the lowest number of violent crimes per person in the state.
It also had the 10th lowest number of property crimes, which included seven vehicle thefts, 22 burglaries, and 289 thefts, which all added up to the 10th lowest number of crimes per person overall. A low total, for sure, but not nearly as low as our next city…
3. Clayton
This city may border St. Louis, but when it comes to crime, they may as well be worlds apart. First of all, Clayton had just 223 crimes for the entire year of 2013, giving it the fifth lowest total number of crimes per person in the state.
These were made up of 13 violent crimes and 210 property crimes, ranking it 11th and fifth in these categories, respectively.
Of course, St. Louis had a lot more total crimes in each category, as it has a much larger population, but consider this: Per person, St. Louis had the 69th most total crimes, the 67th most property crimes, the 73rd most violent crimes, and the 73rd most murders out of 74 places.
4. Creve Coeur
Creve Coeur: Another city to grace our list twice and another city to move up in the rankings. The reason it moved from sixth to fourth place in just one year is pretty simple: It went from a total of 287 total crimes to 247 in just a year.
Those 247 crimes included 230 property crimes and just 17 violent crimes, giving it the fourth and 13th fewest per person in these categories, respectively.
Overall, Creve Coeur had the fourth fewest crimes per person in the state and residents had just a 1 in 72 chance of being the victim of a crime.
5. Lake St. Louis
As you might have gathered, Lake St. Louis has nothing to do with St. Louis other than a shared name and the fact that it’s close in proximity. When it comes to crime, the two couldn’t be more different.
In 2013, Lake St. Louis had the sixth fewest violent crimes per person in the state. St. Louis? The 73rd. Where Lake St. Louis had just the 11th fewest property crimes per person, St. Louis had the 67th.
You get the idea. All in all, Lake St. Louis had a total of 270 crimes for the year, and with its population of 14,733, that meant it had the fifth fewest crimes per person.
6. Grain Valley
This city doesn’t just sound like an idyllic place to live. With these crime rates, it really is. In 2013, Grain Valley had the sixth lowest total number of crimes per person.
That’s because with its population of just 13,081, it had a reported 15 vehicle thefts, 25 burglaries, and 135 thefts, all adding up to 175 property crimes (the sixth fewest per person).
It also had five rapes, one robbery, 10 assaults, and, like the rest in our top 10, no murders, which gave it a total of 16 violent crimes for the year (the 18th fewest per person).
7. Eureka
From the acclaimed school district to the natural beauty of the surrounding area, it’s no wonder why residents love Eureka—and after learning these crime statistics…well, it’ll only make you love it even more.
First of all, Eureka had a serious lack of violence in 2013, with a total of just six violent crimes for the entire year. With its population of just over 10,400 people, this gave it the fourth fewest violent crimes per person in the state.
It also had 208 property crimes, the 18th fewest per person, all adding up to a total of 214 crimes for the year—that’s the 16th fewest crimes per person overall.
8. Nixa
Bumped up from 10th place to eighth place in just a year, this roughly 20,000-resident city had a total of 383 crimes in 2013, giving it the 12th fewest crimes per person overall. These were made up of 365 property crimes (the 13th fewest per person) and 18 violent crimes (the 12th fewest).
More specifically, these property crimes consisted of 16 vehicle thefts, 301 thefts, and 48 burglaries. The violent crimes were made up of nine assaults, six robberies, three rapes, and, of course, zero murders.
The more you know!
9. Crestwood
Another new addition to this year’s list of safest places, Crestwood ranked well in our analysis for its particularly low number of violent crimes per person.
With a population just shy of 12,000 people and a total of seven violent crimes for the year, Crestwood had the fifth fewest violent crimes per person. Specifically, these included just one robbery and six assaults, with zero rapes or murders.
Additionally, Crestwood had a reported 254 property crimes, all adding up to a total of 261 crimes for the year, or the 21st lowest number of crimes per person.
10. Jackson
Last but certainly not least safe, Jackson ranked well on our list for its low numbers of… well, pretty much everything.
First off, it had no murders, like the rest of our top 10. But better still, it had a very low number of violent crimes overall—the 16th fewest per person.
It also had a low number of property crimes, with the 15th fewest per person, adding up to the 14th fewest crimes per person in the state.
All of this, plus excellent schools and adorable neighborhoods? It’s no wonder people love Jackson.
Show Me The Safety
Okay, we know we totally just combined your state’s slogan, a Jerry Maguire quote, and threw in the word “safety,” but hey, analyzing crime is hard work.
Perhaps it’s time we put our home-selling hats back on and Showed You, not just the safest cities, but more specifically, some of the best homes on the market within them. Anyway, get in touch if you’re looking to make a move.
