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Cape Girardeau, MO

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Quality of Life

Overall Quality Of Life
A
Great

A high quality of life with strong walkability, manageable living costs, healthy neighborhood signals, and solid amenity access.

Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.

The Hood Index™

A metric tracking the socioeconomic signals of the area.

A
Hood Index scan area
Luxury Lean82%
RisksNeutralGrowth
Premium
17
Positive
25
Poor
4
Negative
4

Groceries

4 within 10 miles

1.8mi

Gas

7 within 10 miles

0.5mi

Hospital

4 within 20 miles

1.3mi

Airport

BNA — Nashville International

176.9mi

Post Office

USPS — Cape Girardeau, MO

0.4mi

Critical Amenities

Country Clubs

2 private clubs within 10 miles.

Golf3Nearest 4 mi
Camping12Nearest 11.1 mi
Marina0 
Winery0 
Ice Rink0 
Gun Range0Nearest 17 mi

Affluence Level

Overall Affluence Grade
C
Average

A middle-class area roughly in line with national averages across income, home values, education, and employment.

Est. Avg Net Worth
$390k
41% below US avg
Avg HH Debt
$17k
3% below US avg

Crime

Overall Crime Grade
C
Moderate

Crime rates similar to the national median for U.S. locations.

Crime Rate
22.1
Incidents per 1,000 residents
5yr Trend
−33.0%
Overall crime change since 2020

Violent Crime

5yr−26.6%
Homicide
0.05 / 1k Residents30% below state avg
Robbery
0.37 / 1k Residents14% below state avg
Aggravated Assault
3.60 / 1k Residents11% above state avg

Property Crime

5yr−39.4%
Burglary
2.56 / 1k Residents16% above state avg
Larceny-Theft
13.39 / 1k Residents20% above state avg
Motor Vehicle Theft
1.27 / 1k Residents57% below state avg
Source: FBI Crime Data · 2025

Political Climate

Cook PVI: R+27Solidly Conservative

District shown is the primary district for this city’s centroid. Cities may span multiple districts.

Presidential Voting Trends for Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Dem Rep
20%30%40%50%60%70%80%2000200420082012201620202024

Personal Sovereignty

Personal Sovereignty measures your capacity for self-reliance and independence with minimal government friction. Higher scores mean fewer barriers between you and the way you want to live... but it assumes you have the space you need and good neighbors.

Overall Sovereignty Grade
A-
High Autonomy

Strong independent fundamentals that actively favor personal liberty and low regulation.

State Policy

Tax Burden
B-
Fair9.3% of income
Property Rights
C
FairIJ Grade C
Firearm Rights
A-
GreatFPC Grade A-
Homeschooling
A+
GreatNo notice required

Energy independence: Importer (15% of energy produced in-state)

Personal Liberty

Raw Milk
A-
OpenFarm sales legal
Gambling Laws
A
Broadly OpenCasinos · Poker · Sportsbetting
Marijuana Laws
A+
Fully LegalRecreational

Homesteading

Growing Season229 days296 frost-free
Annual Rainfall50.3"
Elevation367 ft

Strategic Assessment

Strategic Assessment grades tactical survivability using Joel Skousen's Strategic Relocation framework. Major population centers, blast zones, natural disasters, and border exposure all drive risk — lower exposure means a more defensible position in a crisis.

Learn more about Strategic Relocation ($)
Overall Strategic Grade
B+
Defensible

Workable tactical position. Some exposure to population density or targets, but generally defensible in a crisis.

Strategic Pillars

City Proximity
A-
Good864 mi to nearest major city
Fallout Danger
A
Great0 within ~30 mi
Natural Disaster
F
PoorEarthquake, Inland Flooding, Heat Wave, Tornado, Cold Wave
Border / Coast
A+
Greatborder 552 mi · coast 463 mi
FEMA Expected Loss$68.0M/yrfor the county

Key Distances

Nearest Major CitySt. Louis302k people are 99 mi away
Nearest Major AirportNo hub airport within 50 mi
Distance to State Capital169 miJefferson City, MO
Nearest Prison14 mi1 within 25 mi

* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area.

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