St. Louis, Missouri

Area Profile

288,512 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for St. Louis, in St. Louis city.

54out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 34% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 16 sources
Opportunity2,363rd of 4,199 cities measured53
Schools3,495th of 4,162 cities measured23
Growth3,537th of 4,224 cities measured32
Housing affordabilityTop 21% of 4,218 cities measured77
ClimateTop 40% of 4,225 cities measured72
Physical resilienceTop 50% of 4,226 cities measured58
AccessTop 16% of 4,226 cities measured99
Economic stability3,673rd of 4,226 cities measured33
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.4% and median household income $56,160, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured.

In the public schools here, 23% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 11.6 students for every teacher.

Rent takes 28% of renter income here, below the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 2.3 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
288,512
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$56,160
Bottom 33% nationally
Density
4,675/sq mi
61.7 sq mi of land
Median age
36.8
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Missouri
Nearest major airport
STL
10 mi · St Louis Lambert Intl
Median home value
$197,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.4% — higher than in all but 47% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment grew 0.5% over the past year, to 151,599 employed residents.

41% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 82% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsSt. Louis city, MO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$52,84612th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftSt. Louis city, MO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$67,35938th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$1,3052024 ACS 5-Year$56,160Bottom 33%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$9972024 ACS 5-Year$41,187Top 30%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year19.4%Bottom 24%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.4 min2024 ACS 5-Year23.8 minTop 34%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year41.1%Top 18%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year64.1%17th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 2026151,599Top 37%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−0.9%Bottom 40%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+0.5%Top 27%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 2026158,60363rd percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year79.7%Top 45%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageSt. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$66,330Bottom 37%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageSt. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$49,990Bottom 40%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year5.7%96th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.7%Top 22%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.4%Bottom 47%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year17.0%80th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/076.22.6
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.4% in July 2026. It has been rising for the last 2 months, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202456k49k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $56,160 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — St. Louis, MO-IL

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
General and Operations Managers46,410$93,140
Home Health and Personal Care Aides44,200$34,490
Registered Nurses35,200$83,180
Cashiers31,130$32,380
Retail Salespersons29,750$33,820
Stockers and Order Fillers28,940$37,840

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

23% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 29% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 11.6 students for every full-time teacher across 99 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
108
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
11.6
across 99 of them
Math proficiency
22.6%
Bottom 6% in Missouri
Reading proficiency
28.5%
Bottom 6% in Missouri
The 12 largest of 108 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Premier Charter School · charterPREMIER CHARTER SCHOOL9749.132%39%
Gateway HighST. LOUIS CITY8609.216%30%
South City · charterCONFLUENCE ACADEMIES83811.827%30%
Roosevelt HighST. LOUIS CITY73412.215%17%
Vashon HighST. LOUIS CITY62115.53%8%
McKinley Class. Leadership Ac.ST. LOUIS CITY61014.573%84%
St. Louis Lang Immersion School · charterST. LOUIS LANG IMMERSION SCH49312.039%39%
Stix Early Childhood Ctr.ST. LOUIS CITY47213.5——
Gateway Science Academy High · charterGATEWAY SCIENCE ACAD/ST LOUIS46113.245%65%
Old North Academy · charterCONFLUENCE ACADEMIES44812.19%8%
Confluence Preparatory Academy · charterCONFLUENCE ACADEMIES44213.82%10%
KIPP Victory Academy · charterKIPP ST LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS43313.530%30%

92.1% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Missouri’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 5% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 95.0, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area is up 41% over five years, and up 4.1% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,033 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.03% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,184, some 19% above the $997 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,184 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $47,400 a year, about 84% of the median household income here of $56,160.

The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $997 a month.

A median home at $197,500 costs 2.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $85,328, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Cost of living
95.0

Prices here run about 5% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
28.2%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.3×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,184
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$997
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$197,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against St. Louis’s median household income of $56,160, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area’s figure202395.0Top 27%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+4.1%67th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+40.5%43rd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+81.9%34th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year2.3Top 44%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year45.3%6th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±1322024 ACS 5-Year174,11199th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$969Top 20%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,526Top 19%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,184Top 20%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$152024 ACS 5-Year$997Bottom 47%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,3022024 ACS 5-Year$197,50053rd percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$762024 ACS 5-Year$2,03357th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$2,4352024 ACS 5-Year$85,328Top 42%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year1.03%53rd percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year28.2%Top 49%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±3252024 ACS 5-Year81398th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.5%56th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year16.3%82nd percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1,1972024 ACS 5-Year29,22099th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

32/ 100
Ranks 3,537 of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been falling for the last 3 years of a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has fallen 7% since 2020, to 279,695 in 2024.

Permit activity fell in each of the 3 calendar years through 2025. Over the twelve months since, it has turned the other way — up 54% on the prior year.

80% of the 304 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.

Federal tax returns show St. Louis city, which contains St. Louis, lost about 2.4% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $52,846, below the $67,359 of households that moved out.

At 1.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
304
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.1
Bottom 27% nationally
Year over year
+54%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
80.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024300k280k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been falling for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−2.4%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
40%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$52,846
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$67,359
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. St. Louis County, MO 8,205 people · 47% of arrivals
  2. St. Charles County, MO 703 people · 4.0% of arrivals
  3. St. Clair County, IL 579 people · 3.3% of arrivals
  4. Jefferson County, MO 500 people · 2.9% of arrivals
  5. Madison County, IL 389 people · 2.2% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. St. Louis County, MO 11,755 people · 53% of departures
  2. St. Charles County, MO 910 people · 4.1% of departures
  3. Jefferson County, MO 851 people · 3.9% of departures
  4. St. Clair County, IL 692 people · 3.1% of departures
  5. Madison County, IL 405 people · 1.8% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for St. Louis city, MO. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

2020202120222023202420251k272
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2020 (−36%).

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 89°F and January a low of 24°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 40.8 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 54, in the Moderate band, and about 10 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station CAHOKIA ST LOUIS AP, 6.5 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.8"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year742024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals40.8"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals24°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals89°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year102024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year542024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals47°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
54
Moderate on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
74
90th percentile index
Days above 100
10
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

58 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are heat wave, inland flooding and earthquake, with heat wave alone responsible for 48% of it. Heat wave is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

TornadoModerate
EarthquakeModerate
Inland floodingElevated

Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, strong wind, lightning, cold wave, hail, ice storm, winter weather, landslide, hurricane, wildfire, drought, avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
1,230
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
5,048
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

St. Louis's police department reported 1,230 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 5,048.

St. Louis city records 28.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, higher than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 39.0 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 61.4 per 100,000 residents in St. Louis city.

Homicide
28.0
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
39.0
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
61.4
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
18.1
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by St. Louis’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around St. Louis (St. Louis city) rather than St. Louis itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest St Louis Lambert Intl at 10 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year86.8%Bottom 37%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle10 miTop 28%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle5Top 45%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year9.8%Bottom 39%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
St Louis Lambert IntlSTL10 mi11,020 ft
St Louis RgnlALN21 mi8,099 ft
Scott AFB/Midamerica St LouisBLV23 mi10,000 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
54
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Other cities in St. Louis, MO-IL

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
O'FallonSt. Charles County93,80174O'Fallon vs St. Louis
St. CharlesSt. Charles County71,50869St. Charles vs St. Louis
St. PetersSt. Charles County59,09271St. Peters vs St. Louis
FlorissantSt. Louis County51,77357
ChesterfieldSt. Louis County49,57475
WentzvilleSt. Charles County47,06170
BellevilleSt. Clair County41,37053
OakvilleSt. Louis County35,33367
WildwoodSt. Louis County35,13372
University CitySt. Louis County34,68566
O'FallonSt. Clair County32,26268
BallwinSt. Louis County31,27971

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put St. Louis side by side with a similar place.

St. Louis vs EvansvilleSt. Louis vs Indianapolis

Moving to St. Louis from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in St. Louis

18 ZIP areas

Every ZIP area in St. Louis with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track St. Louis closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
6311642,170$61,433$174,10055
6311825,913$57,762$221,20054
6310925,236$69,938$264,70057
6313921,631$75,757$209,600—
6310821,336$55,147$372,200—
6310419,007$68,764$268,900—
6311118,851$47,039$128,400—
6311217,985$45,542$212,700—
6311017,645$81,655$339,900—
6311514,488$30,622$75,600—
6311310,221$39,913$81,600—
631078,909$43,625$64,400—
631038,778$40,943$202,900—
631478,173$41,182$79,000—
631206,790$35,176$53,500—
631066,751$20,679$214,400—
631013,130$66,678$223,200—
631022,882$65,527$192,100—