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

Crime per Capita in McDonald County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for McDonald 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.

 

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

D+

Overall Crime Grade™

C-
D+
Other Crime Grade
C-

$14.2 million

Cost of Crime™ for McDonald County, MO

In 2025, crime will cost $1,657 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of McDonald 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 McDonald County, MO Safe?

The D+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where McDonald County's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. McDonald County sits in the 30th percentile, ahead of 30% of counties and behind 70%. The grade covers only McDonald County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in McDonald County is 38.13 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northeast part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 20 in the south areas to 1 in 47 in the northeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the southwest parts of McDonald County, MO report the most crime, about 294 cases per year. The east part reports the fewest, around 34 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in McDonald County, MO

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in McDonald County for 2025 is $14,186,006, about $589 per resident and $1,657 per household. That equals 2.4% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.7%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.4%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.8%

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

McDonald County, MO: $589
St. Louis City, MO: $1636
Cass County, MO: $361
Missouri: $660
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in McDonald County is $589 per year, which is $125 more than the national average and $71 less than Missouri's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to McDonald County:
  • In St. Louis City, MO, crime costs $1,636 per person, which is $1,047 more than in McDonald County.
  • In Cass County, MO, crime costs $361 per person, which is $228 less than in McDonald County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of McDonald County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to McDonald County
Cost per McDonald County Resident
Murder
$4.65 million
$193
Rape/Sexual Assault
$1.05 million
$44
Robbery
$435,344
$18
Assault
$2.24 million
$93
Kidnapping
$219,901
$9
Vehicle Theft
$470,756
$20
Burglary
$958,930
$40
Theft
$1.90 million
$79
Arson
$116,482
$5
Vandalism
$1.12 million
$46
Animal Cruelty
$14,961
$1
Drug Crimes
$952,205
$40
Identity Theft
$59,549
$2
Total Cost of Crime
$14,186,006
$589

The Intangible Cost of Crime in McDonald 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 McDonald County totals $36,592,048 ($1,520 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $50,778,055 ($2,109 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 southwest 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 McDonald County has 3, do the same, and of McDonald County's 24,077 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 McDonald County, MO at ISP Reports.

McDonald 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 McDonald County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
3.241
Robbery
0.5748
Rape
0.7212
Murder
0.1027
Total Violent Crime
4.640 (C-)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
15.25
Vehicle Theft
1.263
Burglary
4.391
Arson
0.2003
Total Property Crime
21.10 (D+)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.1506
Drug Crimes
5.347
Vandalism
6.485
Identity Theft
0.3195
Animal Cruelty
0.0840
Total "Other" Rate
12.39 (C-)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

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

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

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

McDonald County is higher 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
C-
C+
C+
D-
D-
D-
A-
A-
A-
B
A
A
B-
C
C
C+
C
C
D
C-
C-
A+
A
A
D
D
D
A+
A
A

Considering only the crime rate, McDonald County is as safe as the Missouri state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in McDonald County, MO average SchoolGrade of C, with 35% actual proficiency versus 36% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See McDonald 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 9 hours 32 minutes in McDonald County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in McDonald 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.