Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Missouri? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in Missouri, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Missouri suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$170,700 median income · $565,844 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Glendale is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,925 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$250,001 median income · $1,331,344 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Ladue is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in central St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2013 census, the city had a population of 8,560.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$224,327 median income · $693,377 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Des Peres is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,373 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,227 median income · $438,955 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$131,310 median income · $491,929 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$232,534 median income · $1,146,742 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$111,660 median income · $488,323 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Olivette is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,737 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$152,500 median income · $469,903 median home price
Located in
St. Charles County, Missouri
Dardenne Prairie is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,494 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,000 median income · $871,223 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$107,169 median income · $339,629 median home price
Located in
St. Louis County, Missouri
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
On the map
Where Missouri’s best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Show Me State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Missouri. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Missouri, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Missouri across these criteria from one to 61, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Missouri.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Missouri.
Read on to see why Glendale is the ‘burb with the most, while Jennings is probably not the best place to live in Missouri.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In Missouri
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glendale | 6,114 | $170,700 | $565,844 |
| 2 | Ladue | 8,940 | $250,001 | $1,331,344 |
| 3 | Des Peres | 9,170 | $224,327 | $693,377 |
| 4 | Webster Groves | 23,712 | $115,227 | $438,955 |
| 5 | Cottleville | 5,937 | $131,310 | $491,929 |
| 6 | Town and Country | 11,607 | $232,534 | $1,146,742 |
| 7 | Olivette | 8,645 | $111,660 | $488,323 |
| 8 | Dardenne Prairie | 13,503 | $152,500 | $469,903 |
| 9 | Clayton | 17,380 | $123,000 | $871,223 |
| 10 | Crestwood | 12,295 | $107,169 | $339,629 |
| 11 | Ballwin | 31,279 | $124,626 | $412,225 |
| 12 | Weldon Spring | 5,310 | $158,548 | $629,191 |
| 13 | Chesterfield | 49,574 | $133,037 | $570,325 |
| 14 | Parkville | 8,366 | $171,271 | $578,744 |
| 15 | Sunset Hills | 9,112 | $138,144 | $610,688 |
| 16 | Kirkwood | 29,363 | $121,270 | $462,235 |
| 17 | Creve Coeur | 18,643 | $127,188 | $614,771 |
| 18 | Greenwood | 6,013 | $107,250 | $355,951 |
| 19 | Brentwood | 8,144 | $99,719 | $265,327 |
| 20 | Lake St. Louis | 18,066 | $125,693 | $431,422 |
| 21 | O’Fallon | 93,801 | $110,443 | $376,395 |
| 22 | Richmond Heights | 9,153 | $94,460 | $390,830 |
| 23 | Manchester | 18,160 | $97,801 | $374,848 |
| 24 | Ellisville | 10,002 | $113,309 | $403,570 |
| 24 | St. Peters | 59,092 | $91,637 | $318,220 |
| 26 | St. Charles | 71,508 | $85,937 | $344,643 |
| 27 | Raymore | 24,526 | $104,447 | $356,402 |
| 28 | Shrewsbury | 6,316 | $80,757 | $285,844 |
| 29 | Eureka | 13,081 | $108,394 | $403,523 |
| 30 | Lee’s Summit | 103,656 | $102,531 | $389,364 |
| 31 | Wildwood | 35,133 | $161,060 | $576,009 |
| 32 | Grain Valley | 16,271 | $89,649 | $326,296 |
| 33 | Maryland Heights | 27,880 | $86,436 | $258,829 |
| 34 | Maplewood | 8,156 | $65,125 | $267,091 |
| 35 | Peculiar | 5,958 | $94,519 | $357,230 |
| 36 | Pleasant Hill | 8,847 | $95,602 | $364,998 |
| 37 | Liberty | 30,689 | $88,542 | $324,253 |
| 38 | Blue Springs | 59,965 | $88,920 | $307,947 |
| 39 | Herculaneum | 5,071 | $93,438 | $299,331 |
| 40 | Pevely | 6,055 | $56,000 | $273,663 |
| 41 | Gladstone | 27,207 | $79,271 | $266,727 |
| 42 | Pacific | 7,475 | $62,860 | $245,537 |
| 43 | Florissant | 51,773 | $65,318 | $191,524 |
| 44 | St. Ann | 12,811 | $52,323 | $157,310 |
| 45 | Festus | 13,201 | $73,532 | $299,935 |
| 46 | Arnold | 20,956 | $78,370 | $273,572 |
| 47 | Belton | 25,008 | $69,226 | $270,041 |
| 48 | Black Jack | 6,589 | $78,331 | $217,916 |
| 48 | Valley Park | 6,795 | $67,898 | $295,375 |
| 50 | Overland | 15,695 | $61,773 | $150,450 |
| 51 | Bridgeton | 11,369 | $72,005 | $273,069 |
| 52 | Raytown | 29,445 | $68,840 | $205,243 |
| 53 | St. John | 6,527 | $53,755 | $137,116 |
| 54 | Harrisonville | 9,970 | $62,473 | $294,225 |
| 55 | Ferguson | 18,213 | $47,524 | $116,377 |
| 56 | Independence | 121,740 | $60,339 | $208,158 |
| 57 | Hazelwood | 25,114 | $55,908 | $157,629 |
| 58 | Grandview | 26,527 | $53,447 | $216,734 |
| 59 | Bellefontaine Neighbors | 10,498 | $49,170 | $102,415 |
| 60 | Berkeley | 8,123 | $44,265 | $97,156 |
| 61 | Jennings | 12,918 | $38,984 | $73,369 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 61 Missouri suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Missouri
If you’re measuring the locations in Missouri where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Missouri are Glendale, Ladue, Des Peres, Webster Groves, Cottleville, Town and Country, Olivette, Dardenne Prairie, Clayton, and Crestwood. Not sold on Missouri? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs In Missouri FAQs
What is the best suburb in Missouri?
Glendale is the best suburb to live in Missouri for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. It pairs a $170,700 median household income with a $565,844 median home value.
What are the best suburbs in Missouri?
The best suburbs in Missouri are Glendale, Ladue, Des Peres, Webster Groves, Cottleville, Town and Country, Olivette, Dardenne Prairie, Clayton, and Crestwood. We ranked all 61 qualifying Missouri suburbs.
What counts as a suburb?
For this ranking, a suburb is a town within 30 miles of a city with more than 200,000 people. 61 Missouri places fit that definition this year.
How do you rank the best suburbs?
Suburbs are scored on home values, income, density, unemployment, commute times, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best average across all eight wins.
Which Missouri suburb ranked last?
Jennings came in last of the 61 Missouri suburbs we scored. Somebody has to, and the full ordering is in the table above.
