Latest Census city estimates released May 14, 2026 · Population as of July 1, 2025 · Next city estimates scheduled for May 2027. Release schedule
St. Louis, Missouri population is 278,144 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #80 nationally and #2 in Missouri. Cost of living runs 4.9% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
278,144 people live in St. Louis as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #80 largest U.S. city.
How big is St. Louis?
St. Louis covers 61.7 square miles of land and 4.5 square miles of water. Its population density is about 4,507 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population shrank 7.7% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 301,349 → 2025: 278,144 (-7.7%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
301,349
April 1, 2020
2020
300,302
July 1, 2020
2021
293,553
July 1, 2021
2022
286,509
July 1, 2022
2023
283,190
July 1, 2023
2024
280,445
July 1, 2024
2025
278,144
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population shrank 5.9% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
St. Louis is the #80 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #2 in Missouri.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
301,349
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
-23,205
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
-7.7%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
-2,301
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
-0.8%
within V2025 only
Density
4,507
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
61.7
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#80
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#2
of 936 in Missouri
What is the median household income in St. Louis?
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: household income $80,734 ± $166; per-capita income $44,673 ± $122. Margins are at 90% confidence. Comparison badges describe point estimates; they are not significance tests.
Median household income is 30% below the U.S. median ($56,160 vs $80,734); 20.6% live in poverty, 8.2 points above the 12.5% U.S. estimate.
Median household income$56,160
US
St. Louis: $56,160 — 30% below the US median of $80,734.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data; censored rows retained in the distribution
St. Louis
$56,160
United States
$80,734
Income and poverty estimates for St. Louis from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
$56,160-30.4% vs US
±$1,305
Per capita income
$41,187-7.8% vs US
±$997
Population in poverty
20.6% ± 1.0 percentage points
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 41% below the U.S. median ($197,500 vs $332,700); median rent is 29% below ($997 vs $1,413); the ratio of median home value to median household income is 3.5× versus 4.1× nationally; this compares two distributions and does not measure an individual household's housing burden.
Median home value$197,500
US
St. Louis: $197,500 — 41% below the US median of $332,700.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data; censored rows retained in the distribution
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,218/mo
US
St. Louis: $1,218/mo — 13% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: home value $332,700 ± $236; gross rent $1,413 ± $2. Comparison badges describe estimates and do not establish statistical significance.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median value, owner-occupied units
$197,500-40.6% vs US
±$6,302
Median gross rent
$997-29.4% vs US
±$15
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR (FY2026)
$1,218-18.1% vs US
St. Louis, MO-IL HUD Metro FMR Area· 40th-percentile gross rent · HUD methodology
Owner-occupied share
45.3% ± 0.9 percentage points
of occupied housing units
Price-to-income ratio
3.5x± 0.14x approximate 90% MOE-14.7% vs US
median home value ÷ median household income · U.S. ratio: 4.1x
Rent-burdened (≥30% of income)
45.7% ± 1.9 percentage points-10.5% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 51.1%
Severely rent-burdened (≥50%)
25.0% ± 1.3 percentage points-3.5% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 25.9%
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2025 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for St. Louis. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.6%
St. Louis (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
156,226
2025 annual avg
Worked from home
17.0% ± 0.8 percentage points+12.6% vs US
share of workers 16+ working from home · U.S. share: 15.1% · ACS
County context — St. Louis sits in St. Louis city:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
St. Louis city
21.8%
$53,962
4.6%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from St. Louis's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2025 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
55,146
$1,602 / wk
#2
Accommodation and food services (72)
18,259
$632 / wk
#3
Educational services (61)
17,611
$1,268 / wk
#4
Professional and technical services (54)
16,892
$2,534 / wk
#5
Manufacturing (31-33)
16,280
$1,925 / wk
What workers earn in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
General and Operations Managers is the largest tracked occupation in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro (46,410 jobs, median $93,140/yr).
▸Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
44,200
$34,490
$16.58
Cashiers
31,130
$32,380
$15.57
Stockers and Order Fillers
28,940
$37,840
$18.19
Customer Service Representatives
23,760
$45,800
$22.02
Office Clerks, General
22,540
$44,980
$21.63
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
21,340
$41,780
$20.09
Waiters and Waitresses
20,170
$31,200
$15.00
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
46,410
$93,140
$44.78
Registered Nurses · benchmark
35,200
$83,180
$39.99
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
29,750
$33,820
$16.26
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
18,270
$58,240
$28.00
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
7.1% ± 0.4 percentage points foreign-born (U.S. share 14.1%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (3.2% of residents 5+).
A quick read on St. Louis's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
Hottest month: July (88°F avg high). Coldest: January (24°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 41.8 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for St. Louis from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk score: 98.7/100 — Relatively High nationally; top hazard: Heat Wave (99.8).
Natural-hazard exposure for St. Louis from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
St. Louis city
98.7
Relatively High
Heat Wave 99.8 Very High · Tornado 98.9 Very High · Earthquake 98.5 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in St. Louis?
14 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 97% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for St. Louis from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of December 31, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
14 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
12
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
97.0%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
97.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
185,981
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of December 31, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in St. Louis?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 3,791 violent and 15,825 property offenses in the St. Louis jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 1,367.1 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: St. Louis — an FBI jurisdiction population of 277,294, versus the Census place population of 278,144. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
3,791
1,367.1
359.1
Property crime
15,825
5,706.9
1,760.1
▸Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
150
Rape
161
Robbery
692
Aggravated assault
2,788
Burglary
2,273
Larceny-theft
9,462
Motor vehicle theft
4,090
Arson (12-month reporters only)
93
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
1,472.5
7,253.9
286,053
2023
1,445.2
6,399.7
280,108
2024
1,367.1
5,706.9
277,294
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: St. Louis · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
St. Louis sits at state rank #2 among 936 cities in Missouri. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Chandler, AZ · #79 · 278,748 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Chula Vista, CA · #81 · 275,533 residents.
Quick travel facts for St. Louis
Quick travel facts.
Elevation
467 ft · at city centroid, from USGS 3D Elevation Program
Nearest scheduled-service airport
St. Louis Lambert International Airport(STL) · 10 mi 17 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Oct · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS 3DEP · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (OurAirports type=large/medium and scheduled_service=yes; not an FAA service classification) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about St. Louis.
How many people live in St. Louis, MO?
St. Louis has 278,144 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #80 largest city in the United States and #2 in Missouri. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is St. Louis growing or shrinking?
St. Louis has shrunk 7.7% since the April 2020 census baseline, losing 23,205 residents, including a 0.8% decline from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was St. Louis's population in the 2020 census?
The GEOID for St. Louis is 2965000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
