Cost of living in Missouri

Missouri at a glance

Median rent

$1,033

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$70,702

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$230,300

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$1,948

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

24 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

4.0%

Census ACS, DP03

Missouri's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 9% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The three most populous counties in Missouri

These are the most populous places in Missouri, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• St. Louis County

  Population

  996K

  Rent

  $1,209

  Household income

  $82,936

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,335

  Set as targetPlan

• Jackson County

  Population

  720K

  Rent

  $1,197

  Household income

  $68,577

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,575

  Set as targetPlan

• St. Charles County

  Population

  415K

  Rent

  $1,370

  Household income

  $104,692

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,480

  Set as targetPlan

Missouri, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on August 10, 1821, as the 24th state. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 admitted Missouri into the Union as a slave state. Missouri later served as the eastern end of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails.

• Gateway Arch National Park

  The Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse, where Dred and Harriet Scott sued for their freedom.

• Ozark National Scenic Riverways

  The spring-fed Current and Jacks Fork rivers, with hundreds of springs, caves and historic sites such as Alley Mill.

• George Washington Carver National Monument

  The 19th century farm where George Washington Carver spent his childhood.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Missouri

Current owners in Missouri pay a median 0.85% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $1,948 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $550 in Ripley County to $3,613 in Platte County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Missouri

Life expectancy

75.2 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

10.2%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

17.4%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

104

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Missouri as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Missouri

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$3.9B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.64

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$1.6B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

St. Louis County, MO is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

All 115 counties in Missouri

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.