Festus receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.
Signals
Festus
St. Louis
Opportunity
71 · Top 21%
vs57 · Top 48%
Growth
35 · Bottom 25%
vs33 · Bottom 21%
Climate
72 · Top 43%
vs72 · Top 40%
Physical resilience
40 · Bottom 31%
vs58 · Top 50%
Housing affordability
100 · Top 9%
vs87 · Top 39%
Schools
87 · Top 6%
vs26 · Bottom 17%
Access
80 · Bottom 22%
vs98 · Top 20%
Economic stability
46 · Bottom 26%
vs41 · Bottom 19%
Measured values
| Metric | Festus | St. Louis | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 13,201 | 288,512 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $73,532 | $56,160 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $33,346 | $41,187 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 2,236/sq mi | 4,675/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $223,600 | $197,500 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $922 | $997 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 57.8% | 45.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% | 4.1% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 0.2% | 0.2% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.4% | 41.1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 17.1% | 20.6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 8 | 304 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.1 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | -90.4% | 53.5% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 88°F | 89°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 22°F | 24°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 43.6" | 40.8" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 37 mi | 10 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 28.8 min | 23.8 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 36.7 | 36.8 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 10 | 108 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 15.73 | 11.51 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 58.2% | 14.7% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 66.6% | 22.2% | 2019-20 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 33.4% | 92.1% | 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.
Physical risk tradeoff
Festus
Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, earthquake, inland flooding.
St. Louis
Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding.
Full profiles: Festus, MO · St. Louis, MO · How this is calculated: methodology