CurrentCrimeMap

Data through August 2026, Columbia Police Department

Crime in Columbia, MO

The violent crime rate in Columbia is 358 per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to August 2026, 18% below the average of the 302 cities and county areas we cover. That is unchanged compared with the previous 12 months.

Shops along a downtown street in Columbia, Missouri.
Photo: Ironski21, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped

The numbers

12 months to Aug 2026

Violent crime

358 per 100,000 residents, per year

473 reported in the 12 months to Aug 2026

No change vs. the previous 12 months

Property crime

1,584 per 100,000 residents, per year

2,092 reported in the 12 months to Aug 2026

−23% vs. the previous 12 months

All reported

1,942 per 100,000 residents, per year

2,565 reported in the 12 months to Aug 2026

Annual rates: reported incidents over the last 12 months per 100,000 residents (population 132,072, U.S. Census).

What counts as violent and property crime

Counted the FBI's way, the same for every city: violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson. Simple assault is not counted as violent. How we count

Where Columbia sits among covered places

violent, per 100k, per year

358

Columbia has the 150th-highest rate of the 302 cities and county areas on this site, higher than 152 of the other 301.

Carmel 51avg 437Detroit 1,632

The ring is Columbia; the tick is the average of all 302 cities and county areas.

PlaceViolent per 100kRank
Lakeland, FL371145
Pasadena, TX370146
North Las Vegas, NV362147
Fargo, ND360148
St. Lucie County, FL (Sheriff)359149
Columbia, MO358150
Brownsville, TX357151
Bradenton, FL355152
Columbus, OH355153
Huntsville, AL351154
Chula Vista, CA351155

The places closest to Columbia in the ranking, highest rate first. See all 302 cities and county areas

Columbia crime map

cities around it
Loading map…

SaferHigher rateViolent crimes per 100,000 residents per year, for each whole city. The colors are not crime locations.

The FBI publishes citywide totals from Columbia Police Department, not where each crime happened, so this map fills Columbia, MO with its whole-city rate instead of plotting crimes. The nearest covered cities are more than 60 miles away: zoom out to see them, or use the table below.

Of the 8 covered cities nearest Columbia, 6 have a higher violent crime rate and 2 a lower one. The closest is Independence, MO, 109 miles away.

Columbia and the covered places nearest to it, with each one’s violent crime rate and distance
PlaceViolent per 100kDistance
Columbia, MO358
Independence, MO478109 mi
St. Louis, MO1,151114 mi
Kansas City, MO1,325120 mi
Overland Park, KS173127 mi
Kansas City, KS886130 mi
Springfield, MO1,230132 mi
Olathe, KS209134 mi
Springfield, IL747155 mi
About the colors and distances

Colors use the same scale as the rest of the site, from the lowest to the highest violent crime rate among the 302 cities and county areas we cover. City outlines from the U.S. Census Bureau. Distances are straight-line, between city centers.

Reported crime by type

12 months to Aug 2026
OffenseReportedPer 100kvs. previous monthvs. a year earlier
HomicideViolent64.5—no change
About these categories

The FBI publishes city totals by family, not a full breakdown by offence, so homicide is the only type Columbia Police Department reports separately here. Red means more than before, green means fewer. “Not yet” means the site does not have that month from a year earlier.

Month by month

Sep 2025 to Aug 2026

Violent crime no change

020406080SepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAug5037
Violent crimes per month in Columbia, MO, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 and a year earlier
MonthViolent crimesMonth a year earlierViolent crimes
Sep 202559Sep 202439
Oct 202532Oct 202437
Nov 202539Nov 202445
Dec 202527Dec 202432
Jan 202644Jan 202537
Feb 202628Feb 202521
Mar 202634Mar 202521
Apr 202636Apr 202555
May 202637May 202563
Jun 202638Jun 202544
Jul 202649Jul 202540
Aug 202650Aug 202537

Homicides 6 vs. 6

0123SepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAug10
Homicides per month in Columbia, MO, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 and a year earlier
MonthHomicidesMonth a year earlierHomicides
Sep 20251Sep 20240
Oct 20250Oct 20242
Nov 20250Nov 20241
Dec 20250Dec 20240
Jan 20262Jan 20250
Feb 20261Feb 20251
Mar 20261Mar 20250
Apr 20260Apr 20250
May 20260May 20250
Jun 20260Jun 20252
Jul 20260Jul 20250
Aug 20261Aug 20250

5 in 2026 through August, 3 in the same months of 2025. Compare with other places

Every month since Sep 2023
Reported crime per month in Columbia, MO
MonthViolentPropertyHomicides
Aug 2026501351
Jul 2026491910
Jun 2026381400
May 2026371530
Apr 2026361550
Mar 2026341651
Feb 2026281571
Jan 2026441712
Dec 2025272070
Nov 2025391670
Oct 2025322260
Sep 2025592251
Aug 2025371970
Jul 2025402250
Jun 2025442302
May 2025632420
Apr 2025552000
Mar 2025212190
Feb 2025211711
Jan 2025371890
Dec 2024322650
Nov 2024452531
Oct 2024372402
Sep 2024392820
Aug 2024433060
Jul 2024472570
Jun 2024432800
May 2024472344
Apr 2024392642
Mar 2024252172
Feb 2024302961
Jan 2024311801
Dec 2023232281
Nov 2023292670
Oct 2023383531
Sep 2023483131

How Columbia compares

per 100k, per year

Similar size

#PlaceViolentPropertyResidentsData to
9Dayton, OH1,2544,065136,047Aug 2026
69North Charleston, SC6333,007128,751Jul 2026
141Wilmington, NC3782,893127,752Sep 2026
145Lakeland, FL3711,402127,935Apr 2026
150Columbia, MO3581,584132,072Aug 2026
192Kent, WA2641,797136,591May 2026
207Norman, OK2391,813131,728May 2026
211Allentown, PA2341,420127,494Aug 2026
221Sterling Heights, MI2221,013134,402Aug 2026
283Flagler County, FL (Sheriff)98400130,230Aug 2026

The 10 places closest to Columbia in population, Columbia included, highest violent crime rate first.

Same state

#PlaceViolentPropertyResidentsData to
5Kansas City, MO1,3253,411518,039Jul 2026
11Springfield, MO1,2303,601170,958Jul 2026
14St. Louis, MO1,1514,554274,819Aug 2026
109Independence, MO4782,897121,329Jul 2026
150Columbia, MO3581,584132,072Aug 2026

All 5 places in Missouri on this site, highest violent crime rate first.

Nearby

#PlaceViolentPropertyResidentsData to
5Kansas City, MO1,3253,411518,039Jul 2026
11Springfield, MO1,2303,601170,958Jul 2026
14St. Louis, MO1,1514,554274,819Aug 2026
26Kansas City, KS8862,936156,815May 2026
27Topeka, KS8823,467125,228Dec 2025
46Springfield, IL7474,256112,595Sep 2026
109Independence, MO4782,897121,329Jul 2026
150Columbia, MO3581,584132,072Aug 2026
230Olathe, KS209831150,965Aug 2026
243Overland Park, KS1731,443204,173Aug 2026

The 9 places on this site closest to Columbia by distance, highest violent crime rate first.

#PlaceViolentPropertyResidentsData to

Figures are what each agency reports to the FBI, over the last 12 months it has reported in full, so the months differ. See all 302 cities and county areas in the rankings

Compare Columbia side by side with Independence, Springfield or St. Louis, or with any other place.

Other cities in Missouri

4 city pages, closest first

Missouri as a whole has 417 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year, as reported to the FBI over the 12 months to Jun 2026; Columbia’s rate is 14% below the state’s.

IndependenceSt. LouisKansas CitySpringfield

All 5 cities in Missouri

Common questions

answered with the data above
Is Columbia safe?

By reported violent crime, Columbia is below the average of the 302 cities and county areas on this site: 358 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to August 2026, unchanged versus the previous 12 months. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood, so the citywide figure is only a starting point.

Is there a crime map for Columbia?

This site does not have one for Columbia. The figures on this page come from the FBI, which receives city totals rather than locations, so CurrentCrimeMap shows how Columbia compares with nearby places such as Independence, MO instead of a street-level map.

What is the crime rate in Columbia?

358 violent and 1,584 property crimes per 100,000 residents per year, based on 2,565 incidents reported to Columbia Police Department over the 12 months to August 2026.

Is crime in Columbia going up or down?

It is roughly flat: violent crime unchanged and property crime −23% over the last 12 months compared with the 12 months before.

How many homicides has Columbia had in 2026?

Columbia Police Department reported 5 homicides from January to August 2026, the latest month it has reported in full, against 3 in the same months of 2025. Over the 12 months to Aug 2026 the count was 6, or 5 per 100,000 residents.

Where does the data come from?

From Columbia Police Department, via FBI Crime Data Explorer (dataset MO0100200). We count reported incidents by month and offense type and divide by the Census population. Reported crime undercounts actual crime; see the methodology page for what the numbers leave out.

Moving to or visiting Columbia

12 months to August 2026

What these numbers leave out: most crime never reaches the police. In the federal victim survey (BJS, 2024), about half of violent crimes and less than a third of property crimes were reported, and only a quarter of everyday thefts. Rates are per resident, so busy downtowns and tourist areas look worse than they are for the people who visit them.

The official source is FBI Crime Data Explorer. For what to look for, and what not to read into a rate, see how to read US crime numbers.

Source and dates

MO0100200
Source
Columbia Police Department, via FBI Crime Data Explorer (dataset MO0100200)
Latest complete month
August 2026
History on this site
September 2023 to August 2026 (44 months)
Update schedule
Columbia Police Department reports monthly to the FBI under the national NIBRS standard. We refresh every morning and publish the most recent 12 months the agency has reported in full.
Download
Monthly counts by offense (JSON)