While big cities like St. Louis offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around St. Louis. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near St. Louis without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of St. Louis are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater St. Louis area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around St. Louis for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of St. Louis? Glendale ranks as the best suburb of St. Louis for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Glendale, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 St. Louis ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Missouri:
The 10 Best St. Louis Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 6,131
Median Income: $157,750
Unemployment Rate: 0.8%
Poverty Rate: 2.7%
More on Glendale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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 $157,750 a year, which is the 7th highest in the St. Louis region. And only 0.84% are out of work. Homes average more than $505,640 each.
2. Warson Woods, MO
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Population: 2,107
Median Income: $190,972
Unemployment Rate: 0.9%
Poverty Rate: 1.4%
More on Warson Woods: Real Estate
Warson Woods is the second best ‘burb we looked at near St. Louis for 2024.
It ranks 6th for incomes in the area and only 2.04% of residents lack insurance, good for 12th best.
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Population: 8,934
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 1.3%
Poverty Rate: 1.2%
More on Ladue: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Ladue, 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 Ladue.
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Population: 9,140
Median Income: $214,810
Unemployment Rate: 0.5%
Poverty Rate: 1.5%
More on Des Peres: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Des Peres ranks as the 4th best suburb of St. Louis for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Des Peres and the schools are some of the best around.
5. Clarkson Valley, MO
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Population: 2,608
Median Income: $218,816
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 1.1%
More on Clarkson Valley: Crime | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Clarkson Valley.
Clarkson Valley gets kudos for having the 4th most expensive homes in the St. Louis area, where houses sell for an average of $810,952. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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Frontenac 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 4.06%.
According to online reports, Frontenac is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the St. Louis area, meaning you need to get in soon.
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Population: 17,212
Median Income: $125,829
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 8.2%
More on Clayton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Clayton.
Clayton 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 4.7 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
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Population: 12,903
Median Income: $140,844
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 1.6%
More on Dardenne Prairie: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Dardenne Prairie 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 2.76% of people lack insurance, good for 24th in the area.
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Population: 30,948
Median Income: $118,647
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Ballwin: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Ballwin?’
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.
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Population: 29,309
Median Income: $107,905
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Kirkwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 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.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around St. Louis for 2024
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 2018-2022 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 93 suburbs to evaluate around St. Louis.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 93 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 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best St. Louis suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best St. Louis ‘Burbs of 2024
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 .
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.
For more Missouri reading, check out:
Table: Best St. Louis Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale, MO | 6,131 | $157,750 | $505,640 |
| 2 | Warson Woods, MO | 2,107 | $190,972 | $600,071 |
| 3 | Ladue, MO | 8,934 | $250,001 | $1,110,693 |
| 4 | Des Peres, MO | 9,140 | $214,810 | $595,231 |
| 5 | Clarkson Valley, MO | 2,608 | $218,816 | $810,952 |
| 6 | Frontenac, MO | 3,639 | $250,001 | $1,057,065 |
| 7 | Clayton, MO | 17,212 | $125,829 | $754,588 |
| 8 | Dardenne Prairie, MO | 12,903 | $140,844 | $438,717 |
| 9 | Ballwin, MO | 30,948 | $118,647 | $379,084 |
| 10 | Kirkwood, MO | 29,309 | $107,905 | $414,629 |
| 11 | Richmond Heights, MO | 9,186 | $94,384 | $353,272 |
| 12 | Cottleville, MO | 5,584 | $130,139 | $427,594 |
| 13 | Chesterfield, MO | 49,645 | $137,052 | $498,560 |
| 14 | Webster Groves, MO | 23,838 | $105,930 | $388,329 |
| 15 | Brentwood, MO | 8,173 | $89,688 | $253,415 |
| 16 | Creve Coeur, MO | 18,679 | $115,120 | $536,873 |
| 17 | Town And Country, MO | 11,575 | $231,382 | $963,818 |
| 18 | Shrewsbury, MO | 6,352 | $82,681 | $267,379 |
| 19 | Wildwood, MO | 35,276 | $147,508 | $513,120 |
| 20 | Crestwood, MO | 12,315 | $111,791 | $306,853 |
| 21 | Olivette, MO | 8,431 | $102,630 | $440,935 |
| 22 | Columbia, MO | 11,036 | $106,603 | $297,638 |
| 23 | O’fallon, MO | 91,825 | $104,863 | $343,861 |
| 24 | Sunset Hills, MO | 9,121 | $126,199 | $538,666 |
| 25 | Ellisville, MO | 9,914 | $104,360 | $360,277 |
| 26 | O’fallon, MO | 32,104 | $102,560 | $284,724 |
| 27 | Manchester, MO | 18,240 | $89,153 | $332,927 |
| 28 | Smithton, MO | 3,909 | $106,012 | $273,534 |
| 29 | Weldon Spring, MO | 5,320 | $143,389 | $549,244 |
| 30 | Millstadt, MO | 4,035 | $97,031 | $271,507 |
| 31 | Shiloh, MO | 13,892 | $94,539 | $275,510 |
| 32 | Maryville, MO | 8,219 | $96,373 | $298,020 |
| 33 | Rock Hill, MO | 4,728 | $85,155 | $277,056 |
| 34 | Troy, MO | 10,920 | $93,850 | $284,832 |
| 35 | St. Peters, MO | 57,692 | $88,708 | $289,759 |
| 36 | St. Charles, MO | 70,687 | $83,589 | $295,372 |
| 37 | Eureka, MO | 12,008 | $104,697 | $364,147 |
| 38 | Waterloo, MO | 11,012 | $88,019 | $276,117 |
| 39 | Fenton, MO | 4,097 | $97,500 | $311,313 |
| 40 | Lebanon, MO | 4,683 | $86,548 | $158,634 |
| 41 | Maplewood, MO | 8,205 | $58,448 | $243,461 |
| 42 | Glen Carbon, MO | 13,654 | $92,002 | $291,991 |
| 43 | Maryland Heights, MO | 28,099 | $82,232 | $234,669 |
| 44 | Swansea, MO | 14,888 | $85,603 | $236,395 |
| 45 | Green Park, MO | 2,688 | $71,765 | $240,440 |
| 46 | Freeburg, MO | 4,203 | $73,065 | $242,030 |
| 47 | Edwardsville, MO | 26,622 | $87,094 | $293,595 |
| 48 | Marlborough, MO | 2,492 | $50,000 | $215,623 |
| 49 | Godfrey, MO | 17,791 | $84,920 | $191,951 |
| 50 | Arnold, MO | 20,840 | $72,317 | $241,114 |
| 51 | Mascoutah, MO | 8,762 | $93,403 | $229,083 |
| 52 | Brighton, MO | 2,440 | $71,786 | $191,800 |
| 53 | Dellwood, MO | 4,899 | $67,845 | $94,701 |
| 54 | Florissant, MO | 52,167 | $64,178 | $176,193 |
| 55 | Bethalto, MO | 9,281 | $67,569 | $177,611 |
| 56 | Fairview Heights, MO | 16,360 | $74,038 | $170,703 |
| 57 | Pacific, MO | 7,239 | $52,155 | $210,666 |
| 58 | Herculaneum, MO | 4,767 | $79,824 | $253,073 |
| 59 | Pevely, MO | 6,012 | $68,141 | $238,053 |
| 60 | Collinsville, MO | 24,294 | $63,155 | $170,155 |
| 61 | Byrnes Mill, MO | 3,155 | $65,156 | $324,035 |
| 62 | New Baden, MO | 3,444 | $72,295 | $189,595 |
| 63 | St. Ann, MO | 12,917 | $48,081 | $136,175 |
| 64 | Woodson Terrace, MO | 3,943 | $52,826 | $116,468 |
| 65 | Belleville, MO | 42,155 | $60,573 | $133,846 |
| 66 | Bridgeton, MO | 11,422 | $69,982 | $250,506 |
| 67 | Valley Park, MO | 6,848 | $63,478 | $260,081 |
| 68 | Black Jack, MO | 6,632 | $63,617 | $192,665 |
| 69 | Northwoods, MO | 3,700 | $38,864 | $72,673 |
| 70 | Wood River, MO | 10,313 | $58,813 | $114,868 |
| 71 | St. John, MO | 6,583 | $52,000 | $117,212 |
| 72 | Pontoon Beach, MO | 6,039 | $62,176 | $160,545 |
| 73 | Dupo, MO | 3,960 | $61,736 | $114,436 |
| 74 | Caseyville, MO | 3,893 | $55,871 | $97,708 |
| 75 | East Alton, MO | 5,782 | $48,313 | $93,466 |
| 76 | Overland, MO | 15,838 | $51,749 | $130,030 |
| 77 | Ferguson, MO | 18,546 | $47,410 | $104,371 |
| 78 | Normandy, MO | 4,301 | $28,774 | $76,046 |
| 79 | Hazelwood, MO | 25,345 | $55,111 | $150,689 |
| 80 | Moline Acres, MO | 2,815 | $50,352 | $76,203 |
| 81 | Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO | 10,637 | $46,115 | $92,443 |
| 82 | Alton, MO | 25,642 | $49,439 | $88,254 |
| 83 | South Roxana, MO | 2,121 | $59,097 | $85,086 |
| 84 | Berkeley, MO | 8,232 | $37,757 | $76,521 |
| 85 | Breckenridge Hills, MO | 4,452 | $49,198 | $93,755 |
| 86 | Pagedale, MO | 2,592 | $29,112 | $55,926 |
| 87 | Riverview, MO | 2,912 | $48,194 | $57,782 |
| 88 | East St. Louis, MO | 18,796 | $28,519 | $35,320 |
| 89 | Bel-Ridge, MO | 2,687 | $38,642 | $64,904 |
| 90 | Jennings, MO | 12,996 | $32,462 | $58,011 |
| 91 | Pine Lawn, MO | 2,772 | $25,164 | $43,788 |
| 92 | Washington Park, MO | 2,661 | $33,036 | $33,140 |
| 93 | Madison, MO | 2,677 | $41,429 | $43,022 |
