No grade for South Fork, but its recorded crime is here
West Plains is the only graded town within 10 miles. South Fork has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Howell County. The Howell County Sheriff’s Office reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for South Fork alone, and no Safety Grade. A 25-mile circle around it holds 3 towns with a grade.
What stands out about safety in South Fork
Policed by the county
South Fork is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Howell County Sheriff’s Office’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Howell County Sheriff’s Office covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for South Fork. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest Missouri towns with their own police figures are West Plains (C−, 8 mi), Willow Springs (B, 24 mi), Thayer (B+, 24 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from South Fork. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Howell County Sheriff’s Office reports
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Howell County without police of their own, which include South Fork.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Howell County Sheriff’s Office
Counts, not rates: the FBI doesn’t publish how many people each agency covers. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Tables 10–11.
Crimes reported to the FBI for the whole area the department covers, by year.
The nearest Missouri towns with a Safety Grade
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Plains | C− | 8 mi | 3.8 | 18.9 |
| Willow Springs | B | 24 mi | 1.5 | 7.6 |
| Thayer | B+ | 24 mi | 0.9 | 9.1 |
| Mountain View | C+ | 28 mi | 2.8 | 12.8 |
| Mountain Grove | B− | 38 mi | 2.0 | 12.4 |
| Ava | B+ | 45 mi | 1.2 | 6.0 |
Straight-line distance from the center of South Fork. Nearby towns can differ a lot from South Fork.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Three people died in crashes on South Fork’s roads in 2019–2023
South Fork had 2 fatal crashes in five years, in which three people died.
That is more than is typical for Missouri towns of 2,500–5,000 people: at their median rate (7.2 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of South Fork’s size would see about 0 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so South Fork’s own rate (895.5) is context, not a ranking.
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
South Fork and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in South Fork
Is South Fork, MO safe?
There is no Safety Grade for South Fork. The nearest Missouri towns with a grade are West Plains (C−, 8 mi), Willow Springs (B, 24 mi), Thayer (B+, 24 mi).
Who polices South Fork?
The Howell County Sheriff’s Office. South Fork is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Howell County without police of their own.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in South Fork.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.