![\"These](\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/sites\/2\/2014\/01\/missouri-main.jpg\")
Source: Flickr user Angel Schatz<\/p><\/div> For a state that values the welfare of its people above all else (its motto, Salus populi suprema lex esto, translates from the original Latin to, \u201cThe welfare of the people shall be the supreme law\u201d), we knew household income would be a good metric. As for other ways to rank the cities, we decided on seven total criteria:<\/p>\n Using these criteria, we looked at U.S. Census data for 137 places in the state of Missouri with populations above 5,000. Each place was ranked from one to 137 in the individual criteria, with one being the best possible score. These individual rankings were then averaged into an overall Big Deal Score<\/a>, with the lowest score being the winner. Source: City of Glendale<\/p><\/div> Source: City of Town and Country<\/p><\/div> You might have noticed that when we called Tony and Country affluent, we didn\u2019t say it was the most affluent city in Missouri. No, that title goes to our No. 3 city, Ladue. This city of close to 9,000 placed first in three categories, including income, home value, and rent price, and tied with Glendale for first in high school graduation. Six-figure household incomes are also the norm in Wildwood, whose residents we assume must spend a lot of time outdoors given the city\u2019s multiple state parks, reserves, and trails. When they\u2019re not enjoying nature, they\u2019re living it up in the seventh highest valued homes on our ranking at $354,500. Renting there has a median monthly rate of $95. Source: City of Chesterfield<\/p><\/div> Source: City of Creve Coeur<\/p><\/div> Self-described as \u201csmall\u201d and \u201cquaint,\u201d Dardenne Prairie can also be described (by us) as safe. In fact, it\u2019s the safest city in our study, with only eight crimes per 1,000 residents annually. Source: City of Clayton<\/p><\/div> Source: City of Ballwin<\/p><\/div> Source: City of Manchester<\/p><\/div> As you can see, Missouri has plenty of top-tier communities that embody the state\u2019s motto. While St. Louis may have acquired a bit of a bad reputation in recent years for a few reasons<\/a>, it\u2019s worth repeating that all of these cities are actually suburbs of it. They\u2019re its silver\u2014or in the case of Glendale, platinum\u2014lining, if you will. Missouri may be known as \u201cThe Show-Me State,\u201d but our mission with this latest in a series of studies by Movoto Real Estate is to show the state\u2014and the rest of the country\u2014which of its cities are the absolute best places to live. It\u2019s something we\u2019ve done for states including New Jersey, North Carolina, and Michigan so far, and now it\u2019s the gateway to the Midwest\u2019s turn. Known for its waterways, caves, the Ozarks, and the iconic Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri is also where you\u2019ll find the city of Glendale, which, through our research, we\u2019ve determined to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-places","post--single"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nMissouri<\/a> may be known as \u201cThe Show-Me State,\u201d but our mission with this latest in a series of studies by Movoto Real Estate<\/a> is to show the state\u2014and the rest of the country\u2014which of its cities are the absolute best places to live. It\u2019s something we\u2019ve done for states including New Jersey<\/a>, North Carolina<\/a>, and Michigan<\/a> so far, and now it\u2019s the gateway to the Midwest\u2019s turn.
\nKnown for its waterways, caves, the Ozarks, and the iconic Gateway Arch in St. Louis<\/a>, Missouri is also where you\u2019ll find the city of Glendale, which, through our research, we\u2019ve determined to be the best place in the state to live. Folks from Missouri tend to be a skeptical bunch\u2014hence the nickname\u2014but we\u2019ve got the data to back up our claim.
\nOnce we ran all the numbers, we came up with a top 10 list of the best places in Missouri, which includes:
\n1. Glendale<\/a>
\n2. Town and Country<\/a>
\n3. Ladue<\/a>
\n4. Wildwood<\/a>
\n5. Chesterfield<\/a>
\n6. Creve Coeur<\/a>
\n7. Dardenne Prairie<\/a>
\n8. Clayton<\/a>
\n9. Ballwin<\/a>
\n10. Manchester<\/a>
\nThere\u2019s a method to how we devise these rankings, and if you keep reading we\u2019ll explain it, as well as go into detail about what makes these places worthy of such high praise.<\/p>\nHow We Created This Study<\/h2>\n
\n
\nThe top 10 cities stood out from the rest for a variety of reasons, but they all had some things in common: high median income, low crime, great high school diploma rates, low unemployment, and high home values\/rent prices, an indicator of desirability.
\nYou can find a ranking of the top 50 cities in Missouri at the end of this post. Here\u2019s what made the top 10 special:<\/p>\n1. Glendale, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n
![\"Glendale,](\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/sites\/2\/2014\/01\/1.jpg\")
\nThis small city of fewer than 6,000 residents perfectly embodies Missouri\u2019s motto of placing its residents\u2019 welfare above all else. Glendale managed the best average score out of the 137 cities we surveyed, tying for first place in high school diploma attainment with our No. 3 city and placing first in employment.
\nNinety-eight percent of Glendale\u2019s residents have at least a high school diploma, and its unemployment rate is a mere 2.2 percent. Crime in the city is low, with 12 total crimes for every one thousand residents annually. Glendale ranked second for median rent price (higher being better, thus more desirable) at $1,773 per month and came in 11th for home value at $319,300.
\nRanking first also comes with a price, however, as Glendale is tied for the sixth highest cost of living in Missouri at 32 points above the national average.<\/p>\n2. Town and Country<\/a><\/h2>\n
![\"Town](\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/sites\/2\/2014\/01\/townandcountry-1024x562.jpg\")
\nLike Glendale\u2014and all of the cities in our top 10, actually\u2014Town and Country is a suburb of St. Louis. In this case, it\u2019s an affluent one. Home to the Bellerive Country Club, which has hosted both the PGA Tour and US Open, the city has the second-highest median income of any we surveyed at $137,400. Homes there reflect this fact with the median value of $708,900\u2014also second-highest in the state.
\nTown and Country fall behind Glendale in terms of education, but an impressive 93 percent of its residents still have a diploma (the national average is 59 percent). The crime rate is 14 per 1,000 residents annually. Its rent prices are also lower at $1,042 per month, and its unemployment rate is more than a full point higher at 3.3 percent.
\nThe city\u2019s cost of living is the second-highest in Missouri at 36 points above the U.S. average, but we\u2019re presuming that includes membership to Bellerive?<\/p>\n3. Ladue, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nLadue\u2019s standout trait is clearly its median household income, which is the highest in the state at $157,120. All that money is important when you consider that the median home value is also the highest on our ranking at $773,000. In fact, the overall cost of living in Ladue is the highest as well as 45 points above the national average.
\nFor all its wins, though, Ladue didn\u2019t do as well when it came to crime and unemployment as our top two. In terms of the first criterion, it sees 18 crimes annually for every 1,000 residents; for the second, it has an unemployment rate of 4.1 percent, placing it 18th in terms of that criterion.<\/p>\n4. Wildwood, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nWhen it comes to our other criteria, Wildwood\u2019s results were varied. It was third for high school graduation rates at 97 percent but was then 21st in employment, with an unemployment rate of 4.2 percent. For crime, it was 11th overall at 15 per year per 1,000 people who call Wildwood home.<\/p>\n5. Chesterfield, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n
![\"Chesterfield,](\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/sites\/2\/2014\/01\/chesterfieldmo-1024x681.jpg\")
\nThe largest city to make our top 10 at 47,684 residents as of 2010, Chesterfield is growing at a rapid pace, with new construction (both commercial and residential) booming. Perhaps that will only increase once people hear it\u2019s in our top five?
\nIt got there in part by placing sixth overall in terms of high school graduation (96 percent of its residents have a diploma) and median household income ($97,247 per year). Unemployment was close behind at a low 3.2 percent\u2014maybe some of those still without work should look at a career in construction.
\nChesterfield\u2019s cost of living is on the lower end of things for our top 10 at just four points above the national average. Crime in the city occurs at a rate of 16 per 1,000 residents per year.<\/p>\n6. Creve Coeur, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n
![\"Creve](\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/sites\/2\/2014\/01\/CreveCoeur-1024x680.jpg\")
\nBelieved to be named for Creve Coeur Lake to the north, this city, like Wildwood, is known for the large number of parks and recreation options enjoyed by its 17,855 residents. Fortunately, they have the funds to enjoy themselves indoor or out with median household incomes of $94,852, placing the city 10th on our ranking for that criterion.
\nHomes in Creve Coeur have a median value of $378,200, which makes it fifth in that category. The city only got a higher mark\u2014third place overall\u2014for graduation rate at 97 percent, for which it tied with Wildwood (parks are all they have in common, it seems).
\nThe cost of living in Creve Coeur is 6 percent higher than the U.S. average, while its unemployment rate is 3.9 percent. There are 16 crimes per 1,000 residents each year.<\/p>\n7. Dardenne Prairie, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n
\nThis safety doesn\u2019t come at the expense of a cost of living bump, as Dardenne Prairie is even with the national average. If you want to live there, you can expect a median home price of $269,900 and median rent of $1,142 per month.
\nNinety-five percent of Dardenne Prairie residents have a high school diploma, while the city placed 43rd in terms of employment with a 5.1 percent unemployment rate.<\/p>\n8. Clayton, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n
![\"Clayton,](\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/sites\/2\/2014\/01\/bike-parade.jpg\")
\nKnown for its cultural panache, Clayton (currently celebrating its centennial) is home to\u2014among other things\u2014the St. Louis Art Fair, not to mention numerous galleries. We have to wonder, then, if art theft contributed to it having the second-highest crime rate in our top 10 at 20 per 1,000 residents annually.
\nApart from that statistic, the city impressed with the third-highest home value ($607,800) and fourth place finish in terms of employment (its unemployment rate is 2.9 percent). High school diploma attainment tied for sixth at 96 percent, while the gainfully employed among its residents earn a median household income of $87,756 annually. This is important as Clayton\u2019s cost of living is near the highest in our study at 23 points above the national average.<\/p>\n9. Ballwin, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n
![\"Ballwin,](\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/sites\/2\/2014\/01\/9.jpg\")
\nIn a first for this top 10, the cost of living in Ballwin is actually below the national average\u2014by five points. That should be worth an extra drink or two at The Wolf, a popular local watering hole. Fortunately, you won\u2019t have to be too worried about being jumped\u2014by a wolf or human\u2014as you leave, since Ballwin ranked fourth for crime at a rate of 12 per 1,000 residents per year.
\nHouseholds in Ballwin earn a median annual income of $76,589 and homes there have a median price of $233,500, placing the city 17th and 18th overall in those criteria. As for median rent prices, it placed 20th at $908 per month. Ninety-five percent of the city\u2019s residents have a high school diploma, while unemployment there is at 4.8 percent.<\/p>\n10. Manchester<\/a><\/h2>\n
![\"Manchester,MO\"](\"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/sites\/2\/2014\/01\/Pool-Picture-1024x768.jpg\")
\nIt might not have ranked as highly in most respects as Ballwin, but Manchester has it beat in one important area: cost of living. Manchester actually has the lowest on our top 10 at seven points less than the U.S. average. It also has a better graduation rate (96 percent) and unemployment rate (3.1 percent).
\nManchester\u2019s median household income and median home price is the lowest on our top 10, at $71,071 and $212,100, respectively. Its crime rate is 20 per 1,000 residents per year and its median rent per month is $871.<\/p>\nYou\u2019ll Do Well in Missouri<\/h2>\n
\n(click to enlarge table)<\/a>![\"Most](\"http:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/movotoblog\/2013\/12\/best-cities-missouri\/best-cities-missouri-table.png\" "\\"The")
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