If you have spent any amount of time in the St. Louis, MO area, you have seen reports on the news or in the media about the crime being particularly bad. Some articles even report our city as one of the worst cities for crime in the country.
But, what is the real story?
The metropolitan area is home to just over 2,800,000 people. Saint Louis currently ranks as one of the top 20 metro areas for population in the entire US. The metro area on the Missouri side of the river is largely located in St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County and St. Louis City - which is it’s own separate county in the state! So, the city is also a county, all in one.
Why is this important?
Well, The population of St. Louis City is only 297,645 people and makes up just 10% of the metro area. If you look at a map of St. Louis that shows where exactly the violent crime is happening, you can quickly see that it is concentrated in specific geographic areas. Many city neighborhoods actually have no violent crime at all. Statistically speaking, the high crime areas are condensed to the point where they affect less than 5% of the metro area population.
What happens is when the media does a news story about crime in America, St. Louis is often near the top. Unfortunately for us, the way the numbers are presented, it makes it look really bad.
The really good news is if you look at crime statistics for US Metropolitan areas, St. Louis isn’t even in the top 50!
St. Louis is unique in that we have many cities that make up the metro area. Others like Kirkwood, Chesterfield, and Ladue are just a few that offer an amazing quality of life and are a short drive to all the cultural institutions that we are known for. The city itself has some of the most beautiful neighborhoods with families who love living there.
So, if you are considering moving to Saint Louis and you are concerned about crime, now you know more of the facts. Early in my corporate career, I live in several other big metro areas like Atlanta, Washington DC, and San Diego. My experience of crime in St. Louis is no different here than it was in any of those areas.
Bottom line, St. Louis is a great place to live. Feel free to contact me and I can share the details if you are considering relocating to St. Louis!
