Clayton vs Crestwood

Which is the better fit for you?

Clayton, MO
70
Area Score
Top 14% nationally
Crestwood, MO
69
Area Score
Top 16% nationally

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Clayton receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Clayton to Crestwood

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 95.0 against 95.0 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$310 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,420 in Crestwood against $1,730 in Clayton.
The median home
61% less
$319,600 in Crestwood against $830,000 in Clayton.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 24°F in Crestwood against 24°F in Clayton; July highs are 89°F against 90°F (summers 1°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Clayton
Crestwood
Opportunity: Clayton is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
74 · Top 17%
vs
72 · Top 20%
Growth: Crestwood is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
32 · Bottom 17%
vs
39 · Bottom 28%
Climate: Crestwood is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
68 · Bottom 39%
vs
72 · Top 40%
Physical resilience: Crestwood is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
66 · Top 41%
vs
67 · Top 40%
Housing affordability: Crestwood is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
72 · Top 33%
vs
73 · Top 30%
Schools: Clayton is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
100 · Top 1%
vs
82 · Top 10%
Access: Clayton is the more favorable of the two.
Access
99 · Top 16%
vs
97 · Top 26%
Economic stability: Crestwood is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
53 · Bottom 41%
vs
69 · Top 26%

Measured values

MetricClaytonCrestwoodSource period
Population17,38012,2952024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$123,000 ±$12,353$107,169 ±$19,8122024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$74,159 — more favorable$49,4972024 ACS 5-Year
Population density6,933/sq mi3,429/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$830,000$319,6002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,692$1,007 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,730$1,420 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index95.095.02023
Homeownership rate54.9%87.7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.1%4.1%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+0.5%+0.5%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher84.9% — more favorable56.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate5.9% ±5%5.5% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)895712 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.51.0 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−95.1%+25.3%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high90°F89°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low24°F24°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation41.7"40.8"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport8 mi — more favorable13 miNASR current cycle
Average commute18.1 min — more favorable22.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age30.042.42024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools772024-25 school year
Students per teacher9.8 — more favorable17.72024-25 school year
Math proficiency73.2% — more favorable64.8%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency75.5% — more favorable69.4%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility8.8%13.5%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Clayton

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Crestwood

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Clayton
—
Clayton: Your Score
70
Area Score
Crestwood
—
Crestwood: Your Score
69
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Clayton, MO · Crestwood, MO · How this is calculated: methodology