Cape Girardeau, MO: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Cape Girardeau ( jirr-AR-doh, French: Cap-Girardeau [kap ʒiʁaʁdo] ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 39,540 at the 2020 census, making it the 17th-largest city in the state. It is a principal city of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson metropolitan area with 97,517 residents. Cape Girardeau is the economic center of southeastern Missouri and the home of Southeast Missouri State University. It is located approximately 100 miles (160 km) southeast of St. Louis and 150 miles (240 km) north of Memphis, Tennessee.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Cape Girardeau ranks

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#23Shortest commute in MO #23Most conserved land in MO #16Most trails in MO All MO rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code63701, 63702, 63703

Area code573

Living in Cape Girardeau

Housing in Cape Girardeau

$222K▲ 4.3% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Cape Girardeau home is worth about $222,000, up 4.3% in a year, 17% below the Missouri typical home.

A strong seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market39

Sale-to-list97.2%

Sold in May65

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Cape Girardeau

D

Safety Grade D

Cape Girardeau reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 87% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Cape Girardeau 4.7

Missouri 4.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Cape Girardeau 17.2

Missouri 16.9

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Cape Girardeau

All Cape Girardeau schools →

C⁺

School Grade C+

The public schools Cape Girardeau’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 60% of Missouri’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Cape Girardeau’s schools compare in MO →

DistrictCAPE GIRARDEAU 63Schools16

Jefferson Elem. DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 494 students Clippard Elem. C-Elementary · Grades PK–4 · 383 students Alma Schrader Elem. B+Elementary · Grades K–4 · 332 students Blanchard Elem. A-Elementary · Grades PK–4 · 326 students Franklin Elem. CElementary · Grades PK–4 · 241 students St. Vincent de Paul Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 464 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within MO. Ratings are from neighbors.