Columbia is the fourth-largest city in Missouri, with 156,900 residents in Boone County · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Columbia?
Columbia earns an A- for property crime, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 58% of Americans live. Theft makes up 52% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A-, and vehicle theft grades A-.
A-
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 772 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
42% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Columbia as a whole, and 58% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Columbia scores 772.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Columbia, MO at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Columbia, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in Columbia
Car thefts run high for a city with an A for property crime. Columbia has 3.3 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of a US city graded A for property crime, the figure is 0.91.
One part of Columbia stands out for burglary. Burglaries in East Campus, Grasslands & Strollway District, in central Columbia, run at about triple the rate in the rest of the city.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Columbia
Most of Columbia grades well for property crime: 89% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 4% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across Columbia run from A+ to D-.
89%
A or B 89%C 7%D or F 4%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Village Square, southwestBurglaries run at less than half the rate in the rest of Columbia.A884
2Keene Estates, eastCar thefts run about 30% lower here than in the rest of Columbia.A-783
3Park de Ville, westClose to the rest of Columbia on most crimes.A-779
4Corporate Lake & Rockbridge, southCar thefts run about 40% higher here than in the rest of Columbia.B+755
5White Gate, northeastClose to the rest of Columbia on most crimes.B+725
6Northland Acres, northBurglaries run about 60% higher here than in the rest of Columbia.B+699
7East Campus, Grasslands & Strollway District, centralCar thefts run at more than double the rate in the rest of Columbia.B-576
Neighborhood areas of Columbia, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Is property crime going up in Columbia?
Reported property crime in Columbia has fallen 13% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 27 to 23 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). Property crime changed little from 2023 to 2024.
Property crime, change since 2019
ColumbiaUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Columbia. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Columbia
Property, US
2016
+2%
+15%
2017
+12%
+12%
2018
+7%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+0%
-8%
2021
-6%
-10%
2022
-2%
-6%
2023
-5%
-7%
2024
-13%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Columbia
CrimeGrade™ estimates Columbia has about 27 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 14% more than the US as a whole and close to Missouri.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in Columbia, about 52% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when property crime happens in Columbia
Columbia has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Columbia, 61% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often at homes: 38% of them, against 33% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (61%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (38%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (46%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (35%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in Columbia and nearby cities
Columbia has the most property crime of its 4 nearest cities.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Columbia. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, Columbia is safer than 51% of them.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, one sets Columbia apart: it has 64 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more theft; here theft sits near the national middle.
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Columbia: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.64 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 82% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 82% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (17 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 54% of US city residents
Show all 6
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.7 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 78% of US city residents
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.88% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 63% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.10.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 56% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs Columbia
Property crime costs Columbia about $32 million a year, or $201 per resident and about $506 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$4.0 million
$26
Theft
$11 million
$72
Vehicle theft
$8.0 million
$51
Arson
$780,000
$5
Vandalism
$7.5 million
$48
Total
$32 million
$201
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
