Crime in Poplar Bluff, Missouri

Poplar Bluff's crime rate

There were 1,248 crimes reported in Poplar Bluff, Missouri in 2018, the most recent year crime data is available for the city. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 7,309 incidents for every 100,000 people.

In September 2020, the FBI released crime figures for 2019, however, as a complete dataset for Poplar Bluff was not included in that release, 2018 data is shown here.

How does Poplar Bluff compare?

Poplar Bluff has one of the highest overall crime rates of any U.S. city. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,580 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Poplar Bluff's overall crime rate is 132% higher than the overall crime rate in Missouri. Statewide, there were 192,931 crimes reported in 2018, or 3,149 for every 100,000 people.

What types of crimes are being committed?

The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2018. In Poplar Bluff, however, property crimes account for about 93% of all offenses.

Property crime is much more prevalent in Poplar Bluff than it is nationwide. There were 1,163 property crimes in Poplar Bluff in 2018, or 6,812 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,200 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Poplar Bluff. There were 854 larcenies reported in Poplar Bluff in 2018, or 5,002 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,595 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 210 break-ins reported in Poplar Bluff in 2018, or 1,230 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 327 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2018.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 229 for every 100,000 people. In Poplar Bluff, meanwhile, there were 99 motor vehicle thefts in 2018, or 580 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the more than 8.4 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2018. In Poplar Bluff, however, violent offenses account for a smaller 7% share of all reported crime.

At 498 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Poplar Bluff is above the national violent crime rate of 381 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Poplar Bluff reported a total of 85 violent crimes in 2018.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Poplar Bluff. There were 49 aggravated assaults reported in Poplar Bluff in 2018, or 287 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is lower, standing at 247 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 19 robberies reported in Poplar Bluff in 2018, a rate of 111 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 86 per 100,000 in 2018.

Rape

There were 15 rapes reported in Poplar Bluff in 2018, or 88 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,380 rapes in 2018, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There were 2 homicides committed in the city in 2018. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Poplar Bluff is 11.7 murders for every 100,000 people, considerably higher than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.

Poplar Bluff compared to other cities in Missouri

Poplar Bluff has a higher crime rate than the vast majority of all comparable cities in Missouri. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2018 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.

Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.

Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.

Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.

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