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Place dossier plate
SheetMO-ST-LOUIS-MO · St. Louis, MO 293,109 pop · income 28th pct · 104 tracts
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 St. Louis
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest St. Louis on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Springfield · lowest
45,984
Springfield · lowest
45,984 median HH income
42.3% of the leader · rank #1
Rockland · near
55,276
Rockland · near
55,276 median HH income
50.9% of the leader · rank #2
Hancock · near
55,278
Hancock · near
55,278 median HH income
50.9% of the leader · rank #3
Avery · near
55,278
Avery · near
55,278 median HH income
50.9% of the leader · rank #4
St. Louis · this city
55,279
St. Louis · this city
55,279 median HH income
50.9% of the leader · rank #5
Youngsville · near
55,282
Youngsville · near
55,282 median HH income
50.9% of the leader · rank #6
Plano · highest
108,649
Plano · highest
108,649 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
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 St. Louis 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: 293,109.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
St. Louis - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, St. Louis places in the 28th percentile for household income and the 1st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
28th
percentile, household income
38th
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: St. Louis, MO
Missouri's St. Louis is a mid-sized U.S. city, with 293,109 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in St. Louis brings in $55,279 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 13.8%. Home values in St. Louis run a median of $185,100, and the median resident age is 36.6 years. 40.2% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 63.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 294 residential building permits were authorized in St. Louis (Slowing), down 23% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. St. Louis's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 7074.1 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Missouri run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Missouri scores 90.8 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $972 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Missouri's average monthly utility costs around $219 (state average). The average commute for St. Louis workers runs 18.9 minutes, with 66.6% driving alone and 15.0% working from home. 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 St. Louis'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 schools and households to within-city variation to housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For St. Louis, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What can the FBI record say about safety in St. Louis?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 7074.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 210% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
What does the education layer cover for St. Louis?
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.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 40.2% 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.
What can 104 Census tracts reveal inside St. Louis?
PlainCities matches 104 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
Which cities make useful reference points for St. Louis?
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.
Within Missouri, the closest population matches are Springfield (169,432 residents, $45,984 income); Columbia (127,200 residents, $64,488 income); Independence (121,944 residents, $59,480 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Lincoln, NE (291,932 residents); Jersey City, NJ (289,691 residents); Anchorage, AK (289,069 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.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in St. Louis?
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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.3×
Home value
$185,100
Household income
$55,279
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in St. Louis?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 66.6%. The reported mean trip to work is 18.9 minutes.
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.
Drive alone
66.6%
Work from home
15.0%
Public transit
5.2%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 151,056 workers age 16+.
Is St. Louis growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -22,158 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -7.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 294 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
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.
2020 estimate
300,302
2025 estimate
278,144
Period change
-7.4%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Below median income · poverty 13.8% (High poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.8 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Missouri average
D
City profile score · St. Louis, MO
40/100
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 B+
40.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$55,279
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
13.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
1,367 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
St. Louis profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 83/100 (A-) · 90.8 index
Bachelor's+ share: 75/100 (B+) · 40.2%
Household income: 28/100 (F) · $55,279
Poverty rate: 25/100 (F) · 13.8%
Violent crime: 0/100 (F) · 1,367 /100k
Where St. Louis sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
St. Louis'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 - St. Louis highlighted among 13 peers.Read the chart values
St. Louis, MO (this city): home $185,100, crime 7,074/100k
Lincoln, NE : home $248,200, crime 2,794/100k
Jersey City, NJ : home $534,500, crime 2,591/100k
Anchorage, AK : home $375,900, crime 3,781/100k
Durham, NC : home $355,300, crime 4,419/100k
Greensboro, NC : home $221,300, crime 4,307/100k
Plano, TX : home $440,600, crime 1,618/100k
Springfield, MO : home $165,200, crime 5,363/100k
Columbia, MO : home $268,300, crime 2,665/100k
Independence, MO : home $166,400, crime 4,095/100k
Lee's Summit, MO : home $313,200, crime 2,444/100k
O'Fallon, MO : home $305,100, crime 538/100k
Kansas City, MO : home $227,000, crime 6,223/100k
How does St. Louis compare to other US cities?
St. Louis measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income28% higher than other cities
Home value38% 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.
Zoom in to just Missouri and the picture shifts: St. Louis ranks #228 of 234 Missouri cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares St. Louis 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 St. Louis near the bottom of Missouri's cities
Among the 875 Missouri cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, St. Louis ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares St. Louis only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#371 of 842
56th percentile in Missouri
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 875
0th percentile in Missouri
Median Home Value
#204 of 833
76th percentile in Missouri
Poverty Rate
#290 of 875
66th percentile in Missouri
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#86 of 875
90th 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
28th percentile nationally for median household income · 1st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
St. Louis's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
St. Louis'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 St. Louis's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$185,100Among the most affordablemore affordable than 62% 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
St. Louis's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,329 of 15,516
More affordable than 46% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#25 of 117
Large cities (200,000–999,999)
At 3.3×, St. Louis sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,329 of 15,516 and #25 of 117large cities (200,000–999,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$55,279St. Louis, MO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context St. Louis, 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 St. Louis, MO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)40.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)63.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
293,109
Median Income
$55,279
Median Home Value
$185,100
Median Age
36.6
Poverty Rate
13.8%
Labor force participation
63.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
40.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
7074.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
1367.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
5706.9
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
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
St. Louis's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
300,302 residents
2021
293,553 residents
2022
286,509 residents
2023
283,190 residents
2024
280,445 residents
2025
278,144 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
294
housing units authorized
Single-Family
56
detached homes
Multifamily
238
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
381
115
266
$45.0M
2020
422
124
298
$80.6M
2021
955
146
809
$118.4M
2022
1,176
122
1,054
$177.8M
2023
278
51
227
$47.8M
2024
294
56
238
$55.7M
Permit volume decreased 23% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
18.9 minutes
Drive Alone
66.6%
Carpool
6.7%
Public Transit
5.2%
Walk
4.0%
Work from Home
15.0%
Other
2.5%
Based on 151,056 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 St. Louis. 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 St. Louis 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 St. Louis sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How St. Louis 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.