The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Poplar Bluff, MO: Crime Maps and Statistics

D-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D-
Property Crime Grade	D-
Other Crime Grade	D

Which crimes are included?

$20.5 million

Cost of Crime™ for Poplar Bluff, MO

In 2025, crime will cost $1,697 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Poplar Bluff 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 Poplar Bluff, MO Safe?

The D- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Poplar Bluff's combined rate is much higher than the norm. Poplar Bluff sits in the 12th percentile, ahead of 12% of cities and behind 88%. The grade covers only Poplar Bluff's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Poplar Bluff is 45.92 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 13 in the central neighborhoods to 1 in 52 in the southwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Poplar Bluff, MO report the most crime, about 311 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 24 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Poplar Bluff, MO

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Poplar Bluff for 2025 is $20,533,375, about $659 per resident and $1,697 per household. That equals 2.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 55.7%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 32.8%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.4%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Poplar Bluff Compared to Other Cities?

Poplar Bluff, MO:	$659
Hazelwood, MO:	$3007
St. Paul, MO:	$222
Missouri:	$660
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Poplar Bluff is $659 per year, which is $194 more than the national average and $1 less than Missouri's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Poplar Bluff:

In Hazelwood, MO, crime costs $3,007 per person, which is $2,348 more than in Poplar Bluff.
In St. Paul, MO, crime costs $222 per person, which is $437 less than in Poplar Bluff

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Poplar Bluff for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Poplar Bluff	Cost per Poplar Bluff Resident
Murder	$6.29 million	$202
Rape/Sexual Assault	$1.47 million	$47
Robbery	$519,421	$17
Assault	$3.74 million	$120
Kidnapping	$268,066	$9
Vehicle Theft	$482,542	$15
Burglary	$1.20 million	$38
Theft	$3.59 million	$115
Arson	$138,333	$4
Vandalism	$1.57 million	$50
Animal Cruelty	$20,491	$1
Drug Crimes	$1.10 million	$35
Identity Theft	$155,656	$5
Total Cost of Crime	$20,533,375	$659

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Poplar Bluff, 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 Poplar Bluff totals $49,872,157 ($1,600 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $70,405,532 ($2,258 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 central part of the city 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 Poplar Bluff has 7, do the same, and of Poplar Bluff's 31,174 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 Poplar Bluff, MO at ISP Reports.

Poplar Bluff 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 Poplar Bluff residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	4.174
Robbery	0.5297
Rape	0.7787
Murder	0.1073
Total Violent Crime	5.589 (D-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	22.23
Vehicle Theft	0.9996
Burglary	4.226
Arson	0.1838
Total Property Crime	27.64 (D-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1418
Drug Crimes	4.778
Vandalism	7.038
Identity Theft	0.6451
Animal Cruelty	0.0889
Total "Other" Rate	12.69 (D)

Individual Poplar Bluff Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Poplar Bluff is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Poplar Bluff.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Hilliard, MO	C	D-	C+
Fagus, MO	D-	D	D-
Lone Hill, MO	A-	C-	A
Rombauer, MO	C-	D-	C+
Harviell, MO	C	D-	C+
Hendrickson, MO	C-	D-	C
Stringtown, MO	B	C+	B
Fisk, MO	C+	C-	B+
Broseley, MO	C	D+	B-
Fairdealing, MO	D+	C-	D+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Poplar Bluff is higher versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Grand Haven, MI	A	B	B
West Warwick, RI	B-	A	A
Westfield, NJ	A-	A+	A+
White Lake, MI	B+	B+	B+
Winchester, KY	C+	A-	A-
Jenks, OK	C	B-	B-
Imperial, MO	C+	C+	C+
Hopewell, VA	C	C-	C-
Wisconsin Rapids, WI	C	D+	D+
Helotes, TX	B-	B+	B+

Considering only the crime rate, Poplar Bluff is less safe than 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 Poplar Bluff, MO average SchoolGrade of C+, with 40% actual proficiency versus 33% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Poplar Bluff 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.

Crime By Zip Code Download

Our proprietary data is available for download by zip code or by state in a CSV Flat File. Please visit our download page for pricing and terms.

Download CSV

Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 6 hours 7 minutes in Poplar Bluff. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Poplar Bluff, 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.