Highest Murder Rate in Missouri Isn’t St. Louis, But It’s Close

When you hear media discussing murder rates in Missouri, you almost always hear St. Louis, Kansas City or Springfield mentioned, but did you know that the highest murder rate per capita isn't any of those three? It is nearby however.

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Let's get this out of the way before I dive into the numbers. I don't buy the narrative that St. Louis and/or the surrounding area is a place where murder waits on every corner. I just don't. I frequently take my family to the big city to do stuff and have never had an issue. But, the numbers don't lie and when you talk about statistics, it can be frightening.

The newest gleaning of FBI data that I've been reading through was shared by a publication called Southwest Journal and one number in particular stood out to me. They said that St. Louis "has the second highest murder rate in Missouri". So, my perception was that St. Louis was the murder capital of America...was that wrong?

So what Missouri place has the highest murder rate per capita?

Answer - Vinita Park

If you aren't familiar with Vinita Park, it's just on the outskirts of St. Louis.

It's also very important to note that this is a per capita ranking where even 1 murder looks huge due to the very small population. That being said, Vinita Park had 14 murders in one year alone which is beyond tragic for the small number of people that call that town home. Overall, Vinita Park ranks as the 6th most dangerous city in Missouri.