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Place dossier plate
SheetMO-BERKELEY-MO · Berkeley, MO 8,149 pop · income 8th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Berkeley
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Berkeley on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Salem · lowest
40,650
Salem · lowest
40,650 median HH income
23.8% of the leader · rank #1
Berkeley · this city
40,654
Berkeley · this city
40,654 median HH income
23.8% of the leader · rank #2
Tivoli · near
40,658
Tivoli · near
40,658 median HH income
23.8% of the leader · rank #3
Lightstreet · near
40,658
Lightstreet · near
40,658 median HH income
23.8% of the leader · rank #4
Danforth · near
40,662
Danforth · near
40,662 median HH income
23.8% of the leader · rank #5
Parkville · highest
170,794
Parkville · highest
170,794 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Berkeley on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 8,149.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Berkeley - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Berkeley lands in the 8th percentile for household income and the 1st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
8th
percentile, household income
4th
percentile, home value
7th
percentile, median rent
1st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Berkeley, MO
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 8,149 residents in Berkeley, a small town within Missouri. Households in Berkeley report a median income of $40,654 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 31.9%. Typical homes in Berkeley are valued around $80,000, and the median resident age is 28.4 years. About 15.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 64.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 0 residential building permits were authorized in Berkeley (No Permits), down 100% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Berkeley's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 9008.8 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Missouri run below the national norm: the state registers 90.8 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $972 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Missouri's average monthly utility costs around $219 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.6 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Berkeley's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to housing and income to comparison shortlist to schools and households to work and mobility to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Berkeley, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Berkeley?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 9008.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 295% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
How far does income reach against housing in Berkeley?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 31.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
Which cities make useful reference points for Berkeley?
Within Missouri, the closest population matches are Brentwood (8,151 residents, $86,641 income); Maplewood (8,154 residents, $65,510 income); Carl Junction (8,257 residents, $77,855 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Camp Hill, PA (8,149 residents); Ketchikan, AK (8,151 residents); Tiverton, RI (8,151 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 15.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Berkeley?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 58.3%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
3.8%
Work from home
15.2%
Drive alone
58.3%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 3,557 workers age 16+.
Is Berkeley growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -196 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 0 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-2.4%
2025 estimate
8,026
2020 estimate
8,222
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 31.9% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.8 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Missouri average
F
City profile score · Berkeley, MO
22/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A-
90.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
15.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$40,654
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
31.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
2,535 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Berkeley profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 83/100 (A-) · 90.8 index
Bachelor's+ share: 20/100 (F) · 15.1%
Household income: 8/100 (F) · $40,654
Poverty rate: 0/100 (F) · 31.9%
Violent crime: 0/100 (F) · 2,535 /100k
Where Berkeley sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Berkeley's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Berkeley highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Berkeley, MO (this city): home $80,000, crime 9,009/100k
Camp Hill, PA : home $290,300, crime 1,113/100k
Ketchikan, AK : home $340,300, crime 2,398/100k
Tiverton, RI : home $357,700, crime 748/100k
Cuero, TX : home $185,600, crime 2,371/100k
Brentwood, MO : home $276,100, crime 4,039/100k
Maplewood, MO : home $231,500, crime 7,452/100k
Carl Junction, MO : home $206,400, crime 912/100k
Parkville, MO : home $557,100, crime 853/100k
Nevada, MO : home $100,600, crime 5,316/100k
Dexter, MO : home $132,700, crime 3,106/100k
How does Berkeley compare to other US cities?
Where Berkeley sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income8% higher than other cities
Home value4% pricier than other cities
Median rent7% pricier than other cities
Safety1% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Missouri, Berkeley ranks #232 of 234 Missouri cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Berkeley against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Missouri only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Missouri-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Berkeley near the bottom of Missouri's cities
Among the 875 Missouri cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Berkeley ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Berkeley only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#683 of 842
19th percentile in Missouri
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 875
0th percentile in Missouri
Median Home Value
#640 of 833
22nd percentile in Missouri
Poverty Rate
#61 of 875
93rd percentile in Missouri
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#448 of 875
48th percentile in Missouri
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Missouri only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
8th percentile nationally for median household income · 1st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Berkeley's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Berkeley's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Berkeley's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$80,000Among the most affordablemore affordable than 96% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Berkeley's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,534 of 15,516
More affordable than 90% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,470 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.0×, Berkeley sits in the affordable band:
national rank #1,534 of 15,516 and #1,470 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$40,654Berkeley, MO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Berkeley, MO median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Berkeley, MO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)15.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)31.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)64.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
8,149
Median Income
$40,654
Median Home Value
$80,000
Median Age
28.4
Poverty Rate
31.9%
Labor force participation
64.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
15.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
9008.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
2534.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
6474.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Berkeley's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
8,222 residents
2021
8,160 residents
2022
8,082 residents
2023
8,062 residents
2024
8,053 residents
2025
8,026 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
33
33
0
$3.7M
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
0
0
0
-
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
0
0
0
-
Permit volume decreased 100% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
58.3%
Carpool
20.1%
Public Transit
3.8%
Walk
0.3%
Work from Home
15.2%
Other
2.3%
Based on 3,557 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Missouri statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $219
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Missouri at $219 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Missouri statewide averages, not a meter reading for Berkeley. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Missouri's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Berkeley is $972/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Missouri statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.6 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Missouri statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Berkeley sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Berkeley compares to similar-size Missouri cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.