‘Heat Maps’ Show Springfield, Missouri’s Most Dangerous Places

You really need to be careful when making a decision about a city based on internet opinion. It's hard to know what narrative the source is wanting to portray. That's why I only relied on the city of Springfield, Missouri itself to show me where the most dangerous places are and there are 'heat maps' that reveal where you should stay away from.

My one and only source for this information is the city of Springfield, Missouri's official website. They have some interesting data you can look at yourself if you're curious about what parts of the area are more likely to result in you being a victim of crime.

The city has compiled some comprehensive maps showing what type of crime is happening where. Here's the most recent map showing data for the full year of 2023 of where violent crime happened in Springfield, Missouri.

Here's the property crime map for Springfield.

Here's an odd one showing "crimes against society".

Compare those to a heat map from 2018 showing the trouble neighborhoods in Springfield, Missouri 6 years ago.

If you look at the Area Vibes ratings for Springfield, Missouri, you'll see that it gets the worst grades for crime and employment, but there are other aspects of life that are definitely favorable there.

I've lived in some big metro areas before that were known for big crime rates, but what I learned is that if you are careful to not go to the wrong places at the wrong time of day, you'll probably be fine and enjoy your life. If you're considering Springfield, Missouri as a potential home, I'd recommend going there for a week and just do regular things and see what the atmosphere is like to you. Having maps to show the troubled areas that the city of Springfield provides are extremely helpful, too.