Is Kansas City Safe for Women? Crime Rate & Safety Index

Kansas City is safe but there are definitely places you should avoid going to. I typically feel comfortable going around the suburbs of Kansas City but the city itself can be different. I recommend getting to know the city and area more before completely traveling alone.

I have lived here all my life in the suburbs and feel fairly safe in the suburbs and city area. Like with all cities, be more careful about your surroundings downtown. Some areas are better than others, but I haven’t had any issues myself in any area.

It is safe in the Northland, but downtown can be sketchy at night. I’d recommend the Crossroads Arts District downtown, but at night- being a woman anywhere can feel unsafe. I’ve also heard of many cars being stolen, broken into, etc.

Kansas City is unfortunately red lined, so there are very safe, wealthy neighborhoods and very unsafe, poor neighborhoods. If you stay on the south western side of Kansas City, west of Holmes and South of the Missouri River, you will be relatively safe. I would highly discourage going East of Troost or certain areas North of the River. As with any city, there is still lots of crime downtown. I would highly recommend avoiding Westport at night. Anywhere in Johnson County (merriam, Leawood, etc.) is likely going to be incredibly safe.

So long as you have a friend and only travel during the day you should be golden. Most places are only accessable by car. The buses are very inconsistent and don't arrive very often. You're better off calling an Uber.

Solo travel

I rented a car from St. Louis and drove across the state to Kansas City, which was only a 3 hour drive (for those of you that want to do the opposite!) I felt very safe where I stayed, which was an Air BnB right outside of the Power and Light District. It was an easy walk or electric scooter ride into the P&LD. I highly recommend hopping on the train (I’m pretty sure it’s free?) that takes you from one end of the city to the other to explore more, getting off on all the stops. When I was there, the KC Live Block had a live 21+ country concert (Hot Country Nights - every Thursday during the summer) and it was amazing. The following night was a PBR event so I was able to watch a live rodeo. I went to a KC Royals game which was about a 20 minute commute outside of the city but a wonderful experience. Noteworthy food was Jack Stack and County Road Ice House for some quality BBQ, Cafe Corazon for latte flights.

Solo travel

I feel safe in most areas of Kansas City. I do not feel safe on the Plaza due to the protesting and thug behavior. Raytown, Independence, Troost Avenue, KCK, Argentine are areas I would feel unsafe. Overland Park, Olathe, Leawood, Mission, Prairie Village, Shawnee, Waldo and Brookside are safe