High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Crime in St. Louis, Missouri increased from the 1970s through the early 1990s as measured by the index crime rate, followed by a decline in index crime rates through 2010. Despite decreased overall crime rates, homicide rates remain higher than the United States national average and higher than the average for urban areas. In addition, St. Louis has consistently been ranked among the most dangerous cities in the United States; however, these rankings are controversial and do not necessarily reflect the crime risk of the metropolitan area, due to the status of St. Louis as an independent city that is politically separate from St. Louis County.