St. Louis, MO Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About St. Louis Crime

Is St. Louis safe in 2026?

St. Louis earns a city-wide Safety Rating of B (Safe) based on analysis of 156 neighborhoods. Numerically, 71% of all neighborhoods carry a grade of A or B, meaning the majority of the metro area is classified as safe. Only 10% of neighborhoods — 16 out of 156 — fall into the higher-crime D or F tiers. Neighborhoods like Washington University in St. Louis, Glendale, Des Peres, Warson Woods, and Oakville all hold A+ grades, anchoring the city's safer profile. At the other end, Carr Square, Wellston, and Visitation Park each carry an F grade, and Columbus Square and Greendale are rated D-. The takeaway: safety in St. Louis is highly neighborhood-dependent, and consulting a current crime map before choosing where to live, visit, or commute is essential.

What is the crime rate in St. Louis?

St. Louis receives an overall Crime Grade of C, reflecting a city that has pockets of both strong safety and elevated risk. Breaking down the 156 analyzed neighborhoods: 35.9% (56 neighborhoods) earned an A grade, 34.6% (54 neighborhoods) earned a B, 19.2% (30 neighborhoods) earned a C, 8.3% (13 neighborhoods) earned a D, and 1.9% (3 neighborhoods) earned an F. That means roughly two out of every three St. Louis neighborhoods are rated safe or better. The highest-crime areas — including Carr Square, Wellston, and Visitation Park — drag the city-wide average down from what would otherwise be a B. St. Louis's 20.4% poverty rate and 5.8% unemployment rate correlate with crime concentration in specific districts, while wealthier areas like Forest Green Estates (median income $181,230) and Crystal Lake Park (median income $176,287) maintain A+ safety grades.

What are the safest neighborhoods in St. Louis?

Ten St. Louis neighborhoods hold the top grade of A+ in 2026. Here is how they compare by population and median household income:

• Forest Green Estates — A+, pop. 460, median income $181,230
• Crystal Lake Park — A+, pop. 159, median income $176,287
• Warson Woods — A+, pop. 1,283, median income $174,362
• Des Peres — A+, pop. 8,216, median income $166,011
• Westwood — A+, pop. 410, median income $158,331
• Washington University in St. Louis — A+, pop. 3,694, median income $153,358
• Glendale — A+, pop. 6,108, median income $141,140
• Oakville — A+, pop. 36,711, median income $108,114 — notable as the largest safe neighborhood with over 36,000 residents
• Concord — A+, pop. 16,041, median income $88,735
• St. Louis Hills — A+, pop. 7,140, median income $84,858

A clear pattern emerges: eight of the ten A+ neighborhoods have median incomes above $84,000, compared to the city-wide median of $45,782. Oakville and Concord stand out as large, accessible communities where families can find A+ safety without the very highest income thresholds.

What are the most dangerous neighborhoods in St. Louis?

Of the 156 neighborhoods analyzed, three received an F grade — Carr Square, Wellston, and Visitation Park — representing the bottom 1.9% of the city. An additional 13 neighborhoods (8.3%) earned a D, including Columbus Square and Greendale at D-. Together, these D and F areas account for 10% of all analyzed neighborhoods. For context, the city's overall poverty rate is 20.4%, and crime-grade data consistently shows that neighborhoods with concentrated poverty and higher unemployment face disproportionately elevated incident rates. Residents and visitors are advised to use the interactive crime map to check real-time data before traveling through or near these districts.

Is St. Louis a good place to live in 2026?

St. Louis offers a compelling affordability case: the median home value is $139,135 and the median rent is just $840 per month — both well below national averages — while 71% of its neighborhoods carry safe A or B grades. The median household income of $45,782 stretches further here than in most major metros given those housing costs. On the challenge side, a 20.4% poverty rate and 5.8% unemployment rate contribute to crime concentration in specific corridors. The key is neighborhood selection: a household choosing Oakville, St. Louis Hills, or Concord — all A+ rated with populations exceeding 7,000 — gains access to safe, established communities at a fraction of the cost of comparable neighborhoods in Chicago or Kansas City. With 56 A-grade and 54 B-grade neighborhoods to choose from across 156 analyzed areas, informed buyers and renters have significant options to balance safety, affordability, and proximity to St. Louis's cultural amenities.

How does St. Louis's crime grade distribution compare across its neighborhoods?

The grade distribution across St. Louis's 156 analyzed neighborhoods breaks down as follows: A grades: 35.9%, B grades: 34.6%, C grades: 19.2%, D grades: 8.3%, and F grades: 1.9%. This means the modal grade is A — the single most common rating — and combined A+B neighborhoods outnumber C+D+F neighborhoods by more than two to one. The 19.2% of C-grade neighborhoods represent a middle tier where crime is present but not dominant. The concentration of risk is narrow: just 16 neighborhoods account for the entire D and F population. This distribution suggests that while St. Louis's reputation for crime is not without basis — particularly in areas like Carr Square and Wellston — the statistical reality is that a large majority of the city's geographic footprint is rated safe or better as of 2026.