Gateway Arch visitors could drop due to crime surge [Video]

ST. LOUIS — The Gateway Arch National Park said visitations to the national monument increased about 41% in 2022 to 1.62 million people, an increase of nearly 475,000 over the prior year.

But the park still has a lot more ground to gain to get back to pre-pandemic visitation levels. 

In 2019, nearly 2.1 million people visited the Arch, according to National Park Service data, 500,000 more than in 2022. And even 2019’s figure was off from prior years.

Reasons for this prediction vary, but there is one common thread: crime.

Emerald Capital’s data shows that shootings within a mile radius of the Arch in 2022 were up 2,340% over 2019, from five shootings to 122. At the same time, the data shows that arrests within a mile radius of the Arch are down nearly …