The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Cape Girardeau County, MO: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Cape Girardeau County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Cape Girardeau County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Cape Girardeau County, MO Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

C+

Overall Crime Grade™

D+
C+
Other Crime Grade
C+

$46.5 million

Cost of Crime™ for Cape Girardeau County, MO

In 2025, crime will cost $1,344 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Cape Girardeau County with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Cape Girardeau County, MO Safe?

The C+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Cape Girardeau County's combined rate is about the same as the norm. Cape Girardeau County sits in the 48th percentile, ahead of 48% of counties and behind 52%. The grade covers only Cape Girardeau County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Cape Girardeau County is 31.23 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the west part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 17 in the southeast areas to 1 in 57 in the west.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the southeast parts of Cape Girardeau County, MO report the most crime, about 780 cases per year. The northeast part reports the fewest, around 54 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Cape Girardeau County, MO

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Cape Girardeau County for 2025 is $46,534,180, about $539 per resident and $1,344 per household. That equals 1.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 52.9%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 35.1%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.9%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Cape Girardeau County Compared to Other Counties?

Cape Girardeau County, MO: $539
St. Louis City, MO: $1636
Cass County, MO: $361
Missouri: $660
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Cape Girardeau County is $539 per year, which is $75 more than the national average and $121 less than Missouri's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Cape Girardeau County:
  • In St. Louis City, MO, crime costs $1,636 per person, which is $1,097 more than in Cape Girardeau County.
  • In Cass County, MO, crime costs $361 per person, which is $178 less than in Cape Girardeau County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Cape Girardeau County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Cape Girardeau County
Cost per Cape Girardeau County Resident
Murder
$15.9 million
$184
Rape/Sexual Assault
$4.07 million
$47
Robbery
$1.15 million
$13
Assault
$8.76 million
$102
Kidnapping
$704,234
$8
Vehicle Theft
$1.64 million
$19
Burglary
$2.42 million
$28
Theft
$5.31 million
$62
Arson
$340,301
$4
Vandalism
$2.77 million
$32
Animal Cruelty
$36,837
$0
Drug Crimes
$3.04 million
$35
Identity Theft
$383,420
$4
Total Cost of Crime
$46,534,180
$539

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Cape Girardeau County, MO

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Cape Girardeau County totals $127,537,450 ($1,478 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $174,071,630 ($2,017 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The southeast part of the county holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Cape Girardeau County has 14, do the same, and of Cape Girardeau County's 86,297 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Cape Girardeau County, MO at ISP Reports.

Cape Girardeau County Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Cape Girardeau County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
3.534
Robbery
0.4237
Rape
0.7774
Murder
0.0981
Total Violent Crime
4.834 (D+)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
11.89
Vehicle Theft
1.229
Burglary
3.090
Arson
0.1633
Total Property Crime
16.37 (C+)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.1346
Drug Crimes
4.763
Vandalism
4.492
Identity Theft
0.5740
Animal Cruelty
0.0577
Total "Other" Rate
10.02 (C+)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Cape Girardeau County is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Cape Girardeau County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C-
C+
D+
B+
A-
B
D+
D
D+
C-
C-
C-
B
B-
B-
B-
C+
B
B-
B
C+
D+
D-
D+
C-
D
C-
C+
C-
B-

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Cape Girardeau County is similar versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
B+
B-
B-
C
C-
C-
A+
B
B
C-
C+
C+
B-
C
C
B+
B+
B+
C+
B
B
C
B+
B+
D-
D-
D-
B-
B
B

Considering only the crime rate, Cape Girardeau County is safer than the Missouri state average and as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Cape Girardeau County, MO average SchoolGrade of C-, with 34% actual proficiency versus 36% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Cape Girardeau County schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 3 hours 15 minutes in Cape Girardeau County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Cape Girardeau County, MO

All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.