St. Louis has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of St. Louis without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of St. Louis: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$170,700 median income · $565,844 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Glendale is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the St. Louis area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Glendale.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $170,700 a year, which is the 7th highest in the St. Louis region. And only 0.3% are out of work. Homes average more than $565,844 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$224,327 median income · $693,377 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Des Peres is the second best ‘burb we looked at near St. Louis for 2026.
It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 0.7% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$206,979 median income · $673,848 median home price
Here in Warson Woods, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the St. Louis metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Warson Woods.
$250,001 median income · $1,331,344 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Ladue ranks as the 4th best suburb of St. Louis for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Ladue and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$152,500 median income · $469,903 median home price
Located in
St. Charles County, Missouri
Coming in as the fifth best is Dardenne Prairie.
Dardenne Prairie gets kudos for having the 16th most expensive homes in the St. Louis area, where houses sell for an average of $469,903. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$247,000 median income · $913,371 median home price
Clarkson Valley is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.9%.
According to online reports, Clarkson Valley is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the St. Louis area, meaning you need to get in soon.
$115,227 median income · $438,955 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Webster Groves.
Webster Groves schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 6.8 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$107,169 median income · $339,629 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Crestwood is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 1.9% of people lack insurance, good for 14th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$232,534 median income · $1,146,742 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Is ‘Everything Better In Town and Country?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$121,270 median income · $462,235 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Kirkwood.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Missouri’s statewide median.
Missouri statewide median: $70,702
Missouri statewide median: $263,040
Missouri statewide median: 4.0%
Missouri statewide median: 12.6%
On the map
Where the best St. Louis suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around St. Louis for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around St. Louis was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of St. Louis.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 94 suburbs to evaluate around St. Louis.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 94 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near St. Louis.” We’re lookin’ at you, Glendale.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best St. Louis suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best St. Louis Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | 6.14 | 6,114 | $170,700 | $565,844 |
| 2 | Des Peres | 11.86 | 9,170 | $224,327 | $693,377 |
| 3 | Warson Woods | 13.14 | 2,393 | $206,979 | $673,848 |
| 4 | Ladue | 14.86 | 8,940 | $250,001 | $1,331,344 |
| 5 | Dardenne Prairie | 16.36 | 13,503 | $152,500 | $469,903 |
| 6 | Clarkson Valley | 18.86 | 2,584 | $247,000 | $913,371 |
| 7 | Webster Groves | 20.50 | 23,712 | $115,227 | $438,955 |
| 8 | Crestwood | 21.79 | 12,295 | $107,169 | $339,629 |
| 9 | Town and Country | 22.57 | 11,607 | $232,534 | $1,146,742 |
| 10 | Kirkwood | 22.79 | 29,363 | $121,270 | $462,235 |
| 11 | Brentwood | 23.36 | 8,144 | $99,719 | $265,327 |
| 12 | Olivette | 23.43 | 8,645 | $111,660 | $488,323 |
| 13 | Cottleville | 23.43 | 5,937 | $131,310 | $491,929 |
| 14 | Richmond Heights | 24.86 | 9,153 | $94,460 | $390,830 |
| 15 | Frontenac | 25.21 | 3,701 | $233,425 | $1,251,598 |
| 16 | Weldon Spring | 25.50 | 5,310 | $158,548 | $629,191 |
| 17 | Chesterfield | 26.00 | 49,574 | $133,037 | $570,325 |
| 18 | Clayton | 26.14 | 17,380 | $123,000 | $871,223 |
| 19 | Ballwin | 27.14 | 31,279 | $124,626 | $412,225 |
| 20 | Wildwood | 27.29 | 35,133 | $161,060 | $576,009 |
| 21 | Creve Coeur | 27.64 | 18,643 | $127,188 | $614,771 |
| 22 | Columbia | 27.71 | 11,127 | $107,606 | $342,742 |
| 23 | Smithton | 27.93 | 3,680 | $135,455 | $306,316 |
| 24 | Troy | 28.71 | 11,647 | $112,434 | $324,854 |
| 25 | Sunset Hills | 29.57 | 9,112 | $138,144 | $610,688 |
| 26 | Rock Hill | 30.64 | 4,693 | $95,372 | $302,430 |
| 27 | O’Fallon | 32.64 | 93,801 | $110,443 | $376,395 |
| 28 | Ellisville | 35.00 | 10,002 | $113,309 | $403,570 |
| 29 | Waterloo | 35.14 | 11,129 | $98,711 | $327,508 |
| 30 | St. Peters | 36.36 | 59,092 | $91,637 | $318,220 |
| 31 | O’Fallon | 36.43 | 32,262 | $105,982 | $308,471 |
| 32 | Shrewsbury | 36.43 | 6,316 | $80,757 | $285,844 |
| 33 | Manchester | 36.86 | 18,160 | $97,801 | $374,848 |
| 34 | Marlborough | 37.00 | 2,157 | $50,300 | $236,123 |
| 35 | Glen Carbon | 37.14 | 13,977 | $97,168 | $331,015 |
| 36 | Fenton | 37.93 | 4,088 | $101,000 | $350,648 |
| 37 | Eureka | 39.36 | 13,081 | $108,394 | $403,523 |
| 38 | St. Charles | 40.64 | 71,508 | $85,937 | $344,643 |
| 39 | Maryville | 40.64 | 8,316 | $100,670 | $325,041 |
| 40 | Maplewood | 41.00 | 8,156 | $65,125 | $267,091 |
| 41 | Shiloh | 41.86 | 14,572 | $99,573 | $313,004 |
| 42 | Millstadt | 42.29 | 4,008 | $90,901 | $295,416 |
| 43 | Maryland Heights | 45.29 | 27,880 | $86,436 | $258,829 |
| 44 | Herculaneum | 45.86 | 5,071 | $93,438 | $299,331 |
| 45 | Swansea | 47.07 | 14,710 | $91,587 | $263,376 |
| 46 | Green Park | 47.36 | 2,690 | $79,141 | $256,231 |
| 47 | Black Jack | 47.50 | 6,589 | $78,331 | $217,916 |
| 48 | Edwardsville | 47.71 | 26,474 | $86,721 | $324,629 |
| 49 | Lebanon | 49.36 | 4,474 | $88,750 | $166,284 |
| 50 | Freeburg | 50.43 | 4,592 | $92,065 | $269,827 |
| 51 | Brighton | 51.07 | 2,306 | $80,214 | $211,907 |
| 52 | Godfrey | 51.86 | 17,712 | $94,543 | $214,595 |
| 53 | Mascoutah | 52.29 | 8,816 | $97,375 | $264,429 |
| 54 | New Baden | 52.43 | 3,463 | $81,393 | $218,977 |
| 55 | Pevely | 52.71 | 6,055 | $56,000 | $273,663 |
| 56 | Arnold | 53.21 | 20,956 | $78,370 | $273,572 |
| 57 | Florissant | 53.43 | 51,773 | $65,318 | $191,524 |
| 58 | Pacific | 53.43 | 7,475 | $62,860 | $245,537 |
| 59 | Northwoods | 53.43 | 3,623 | $45,330 | $88,332 |
| 60 | Valley Park | 53.71 | 6,795 | $67,898 | $295,375 |
| 61 | Fairview Heights | 55.00 | 16,745 | $80,930 | $191,788 |
| 62 | Bethalto | 56.57 | 9,239 | $64,775 | $197,189 |
| 63 | Dellwood | 58.43 | 4,847 | $72,540 | $110,368 |
| 64 | Collinsville | 59.00 | 24,031 | $67,612 | $192,078 |
| 65 | Wood River | 59.00 | 10,279 | $62,703 | $127,547 |
| 66 | Belleville | 60.86 | 41,370 | $63,535 | $156,535 |
| 67 | Bridgeton | 62.29 | 11,369 | $72,005 | $273,069 |
| 68 | Moline Acres | 62.43 | 2,843 | $55,132 | $100,726 |
| 69 | Byrnes Mill | 64.29 | 3,189 | $98,576 | $349,229 |
| 70 | St. Ann | 64.36 | 12,811 | $52,323 | $157,310 |
| 71 | Overland | 65.86 | 15,695 | $61,773 | $150,450 |
| 72 | St. John | 67.86 | 6,527 | $53,755 | $137,116 |
| 73 | Alton | 68.14 | 25,279 | $54,568 | $103,097 |
| 74 | Dupo | 68.50 | 3,879 | $61,644 | $120,484 |
| 75 | Woodson Terrace | 68.57 | 3,908 | $47,417 | $134,922 |
| 76 | Pontoon Beach | 69.14 | 6,025 | $62,861 | $187,320 |
| 77 | Ferguson | 69.43 | 18,213 | $47,524 | $116,377 |
| 78 | Hazelwood | 69.79 | 25,114 | $55,908 | $157,629 |
| 79 | Bellefontaine Neighbors | 71.64 | 10,498 | $49,170 | $102,415 |
| 80 | Hanley Hills | 71.71 | 2,178 | $52,828 | $93,141 |
| 81 | Caseyville | 72.14 | 4,130 | $60,669 | $113,484 |
| 82 | East Alton | 72.86 | 5,689 | $48,815 | $93,631 |
| 83 | Riverview | 73.14 | 2,731 | $48,482 | $74,542 |
| 84 | South Roxana | 74.00 | 2,181 | $60,214 | $96,306 |
| 85 | Vinita Park | 74.00 | 2,042 | $53,995 | $102,996 |
| 86 | Breckenridge Hills | 74.64 | 4,402 | $40,958 | $121,359 |
| 87 | Bel-Ridge | 76.57 | 2,432 | $38,049 | $77,465 |
| 88 | Normandy | 77.00 | 4,239 | $29,379 | $94,375 |
| 89 | Jennings | 77.86 | 12,918 | $38,984 | $73,369 |
| 90 | Pagedale | 78.07 | 2,531 | $31,250 | $74,647 |
| 91 | Berkeley | 78.29 | 8,123 | $44,265 | $97,156 |
| 92 | East St. Louis | 78.43 | 17,999 | $35,700 | $39,297 |
| 93 | Madison | 78.43 | 2,900 | $49,326 | $54,802 |
| 94 | Pine Lawn | 78.43 | 2,716 | $24,837 | $67,353 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 94 suburbs within 30 miles of St. Louis.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best St. Louis ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of St. Louis are Glendale, Des Peres, Warson Woods, Ladue, Dardenne Prairie, Clarkson Valley, Webster Groves, Crestwood, Town and Country, and Kirkwood.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like St. Louis but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Missouri? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of St. Louis FAQs
What is the best suburb of St. Louis?
Glendale is the best suburb of St. Louis for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Des Peres and Warson Woods are next.
What are the best suburbs of St. Louis?
The best suburbs of St. Louis are Glendale, Des Peres, Warson Woods, Ladue, Dardenne Prairie, Clarkson Valley, Webster Groves, Crestwood, Town and Country, and Kirkwood. We ranked all 94 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Glendale?
The median household income in Glendale is $170,700 and the median home costs $565,844. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of St. Louis?
Any place within 30 miles of St. Louis qualifies. 94 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank St. Louis suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Glendale, takes the crown.
