St. Louis County, Missouri Eviction Risk: Low
79 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of Florissant (3.2) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.
Ranked #23 of 115 MO counties
832k residents · 79 cities · 236 tracts
St. Louis County eviction risk score history
Key metrics
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Tenant beats landlord19.5%/ 100 outcomesIn court-decided eviction outcomes for St. Louis County, MO, tenants prevail in roughly 19.5% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses and longer calendars.
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Timeline39dfiling → judgmentFrom the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in St. Louis County, MO until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 39 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent for landlords.
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Cost range$1.2–3.5klegal + lost rentA typical eviction in St. Louis County, MO costs landlords $1,210 to $3,487 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent.
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Average rent$1,34829% stretched on rentAverage gross rent in St. Louis County, MO is $1,348 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey. 29% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent.
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Renters29.6%of households29.6% of occupied housing units in St. Louis County, MO are renter-occupied. A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings and a more active rental market.
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Poverty9.3%4.2% unemp.9.3% of St. Louis County, MO residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.2%. Both feed the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model.
Scrub 50 years
St. Louis County's average eviction risk of 2.5/10 spans a wide range from 2 to 3.2, with Jennings and Pagedale representing the highest-risk end of the county. Ranked 4th of 115 Missouri counties by eviction risk, St. Louis County sits in the state's higher-risk tier.
How St. Louis County ranks in Missouri
Landlord guides for Missouri
| City↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | % income on rent↕ | Average rent↕ | Lean↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Florissant | 51,773 | 2.6 | 28.3% | $1,288 | Dem |
| 002 | Chesterfield | 49,574 | 2.2 | 23.8% | $1,644 | Dem |
| 003 | Oakville | 35,333 | 2.6 | 30.5% | $1,091 | Dem |
| 004 | Wildwood | 35,133 | 2.2 | 25.4% | $1,661 | Dem |
| 005 | University City | 34,685 | 2.7 | 27.2% | $1,319 | Dem |
| 006 | Ballwin | 31,279 | 2.3 | 27.1% | $1,418 | Dem |
| 007 | Mehlville | 29,805 | 2.5 | 27.4% | $1,066 | Dem |
| 008 | Kirkwood | 29,363 | 2.3 | 30.3% | $1,348 | Dem |
| 009 | Maryland Heights | 27,880 | 2.1 | 21.0% | $1,312 | Dem |
| 010 | Hazelwood | 25,114 | 2.8 | 32.3% | $996 | Dem |
| 011 | Webster Groves | 23,712 | 2.5 | 41.3% | $1,650 | Dem |
| 012 | Old Jamestown | 20,651 | 2.7 | 29.8% | $1,835 | Dem |
| 013 | Affton | 19,052 | 2.4 | 23.2% | $1,015 | Dem |
| 014 | Creve Coeur | 18,643 | 2.3 | 27.2% | $1,622 | Dem |
| 015 | Concord | 18,368 | 2.2 | 23.9% | $1,215 | Dem |
| 016 | Ferguson | 18,213 | 3.1 | 36.8% | $1,119 | Dem |
| 017 | Manchester | 18,160 | 2.3 | 24.9% | $1,322 | Dem |
| 018 | Spanish Lake | 17,873 | 3.0 | 33.5% | $1,160 | Dem |
| 019 | Clayton | 17,380 | 2.5 | 24.3% | $1,692 | Dem |
| 020 | Lemay | 16,228 | 2.5 | 24.9% | $881 | Dem |
| 021 | Overland | 15,695 | 2.7 | 29.6% | $1,112 | Dem |
| 022 | Eureka | 13,081 | 2.2 | 26.9% | $1,252 | Dem |
| 023 | Jennings | 12,918 | 3.2 | 38.0% | $961 | Dem |
| 024 | St. Ann | 12,811 | 2.5 | 27.3% | $976 | Dem |
| 025 | Crestwood | 12,295 | 2.3 | 29.6% | $1,007 | Dem |
| 026 | Town and Country | 11,607 | 2.3 | 25.8% | $1,955 | Dem |
| 027 | Bridgeton | 11,369 | 2.4 | 29.3% | $1,172 | Dem |
| 028 | Bellefontaine Neighbors | 10,498 | 3.0 | 39.2% | $1,151 | Dem |
| 029 | Ellisville | 10,002 | 2.5 | 32.8% | $1,538 | Dem |
| 030 | Des Peres | 9,170 | 2.1 | 26.9% | $1,750 | Dem |
| 031 | Richmond Heights | 9,153 | 2.2 | 22.7% | $1,559 | Dem |
| 032 | Sunset Hills | 9,112 | 2.6 | 51.0% | $2,099 | Dem |
| 033 | Ladue | 8,940 | 2.0 | 18.2% | $1,815 | Dem |
| 034 | Olivette | 8,645 | 2.5 | 24.7% | $1,513 | Dem |
| 035 | Maplewood | 8,156 | 2.3 | 22.3% | $970 | Dem |
| 036 | Brentwood | 8,144 | 2.0 | 20.1% | $1,439 | Dem |
| 037 | Berkeley | 8,123 | 2.6 | 39.6% | $1,074 | Dem |
| 038 | Sappington | 7,367 | 2.5 | 29.2% | $1,241 | Dem |
| 039 | Valley Park | 6,795 | 2.8 | 33.0% | $1,443 | Dem |
| 040 | Black Jack | 6,589 | 3.0 | 29.8% | $1,166 | Dem |
| 041 | St. John | 6,527 | 2.6 | 34.6% | $1,159 | Dem |
| 042 | Shrewsbury | 6,316 | 2.4 | 29.9% | $1,215 | Dem |
| 043 | Glendale | 6,114 | 2.1 | 27.7% | $1,855 | Dem |
| 044 | Glasgow Village | 5,504 | 2.8 | 51.0% | $1,229 | Dem |
| 045 | Dellwood | 4,847 | 2.6 | 22.9% | $1,161 | Dem |
| 046 | Rock Hill | 4,693 | 2.1 | 19.4% | $1,473 | Dem |
| 047 | Breckenridge Hills | 4,402 | 2.9 | 51.0% | $1,112 | Dem |
| 048 | Normandy | 4,239 | 3.1 | 41.6% | $1,002 | Dem |
| 049 | Fenton | 4,088 | 2.8 | 24.4% | $1,622 | Dem |
| 050 | Woodson Terrace | 3,908 | 2.5 | 33.1% | $1,179 | Dem |
| 051 | Frontenac | 3,701 | 2.5 | 27.7% | $3,250 | Dem |
| 052 | Northwoods | 3,623 | 2.8 | 28.0% | $1,167 | Dem |
| 053 | Riverview | 2,731 | 3.0 | 35.1% | $803 | Dem |
| 054 | Pine Lawn | 2,716 | 3.2 | 51.0% | $1,003 | Dem |
| 055 | Clarkson Valley | 2,584 | 2.2 | 27.7% | $1,393 | Dem |
| 056 | Pagedale | 2,531 | 3.2 | 47.3% | $965 | Dem |
| 057 | Bel-Ridge | 2,432 | 3.2 | 40.0% | $969 | Dem |
| 058 | Warson Woods | 2,393 | 2.2 | 27.7% | $1,393 | Dem |
| 059 | Castle Point | 2,340 | 3.2 | 51.0% | $1,094 | Dem |
| 060 | Vinita Park | 2,042 | 2.9 | 26.9% | $1,154 | Dem |
| 061 | Winchester | 1,939 | 2.2 | 24.4% | $1,557 | Dem |
| 062 | Wellston | 1,628 | 2.8 | 31.9% | $1,005 | Dem |
| 063 | Oakland | 1,562 | 2.7 | 51.0% | $2,781 | Dem |
| 064 | Bel-Nor | 1,556 | 3.0 | 42.3% | $1,011 | Dem |
| 065 | Cool Valley | 1,411 | 2.7 | 24.6% | $992 | Dem |
| 066 | Velda City | 1,158 | 2.7 | 40.9% | $1,218 | Dem |
| 067 | Grantwood Village | 1,058 | 2.5 | 27.7% | $1,393 | Dem |
| 068 | Edmundson | 975 | 2.4 | 28.2% | $1,243 | Dem |
| 069 | Twin Oaks | 734 | 2.0 | 19.1% | $1,778 | Dem |
| 070 | Sycamore Hills | 672 | 2.0 | 18.2% | $1,119 | Dem |
| 071 | Crystal Lake Park | 553 | 2.3 | 27.8% | $3,111 | Dem |
| 072 | Wilbur Park | 491 | 2.3 | 19.8% | $1,300 | Dem |
| 073 | Huntleigh | 366 | 2.2 | 27.7% | $1,393 | Dem |
| 074 | Portage Des Sioux | 340 | 2.7 | 24.1% | $800 | Dem |
| 075 | Westwood | 338 | 2.4 | 32.5% | $2,250 | Dem |
| 076 | Parkdale | 204 | 2.7 | 27.7% | $1,393 | Dem |
| 077 | Peaceful Village | 117 | 2.4 | 18.3% | $865 | Dem |
| 078 | Country Life Acres | 73 | 2.2 | 27.7% | $1,393 | Dem |
| 079 | Champ | 6 | 2.1 | 27.7% | $1,393 | Dem |
County heatmap
Neighborhoods in St. Louis County
Top 13 neighborhoods by population. Click for a pop-weighted risk score and the constituent census tracts.
One county, multiple regulatory regimes.
St. Louis County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.5/10 (Low) across 79 incorporated cities and communities, placing it 4th of 115 Missouri counties, meaning only 3 counties in the state carry higher risk. For landlords evaluating this market, that aggregate number masks a wide intra-county spread: individual city scores run from 2 to 3.2, a two-point gap that makes the county's headline figure nearly meaningless without a city-level view. At an average rent of $1,348 and an average rent burden of 29.1%, the county sits in territory where tenant financial stress is present but not extreme, and renter share of households is 29.6%.
Within Missouri's broader landscape, St. Louis County is a study in contrasts. The same county that contains some of the state's safest suburban rental markets also contains several cities with scores that rival the most challenging markets anywhere in the state. Investors who treat St. Louis County as a uniform buy or avoid call are leaving real information on the table.
The cities inside St. Louis County
The highest-risk concentration is in the county's north and inner-ring communities. Jennings and Pagedale each score 3.2/10, the top of the county's range. Ferguson, Spanish Lake, Berkeley, Dellwood, Riverview, and Castle Point each score 3.2/10. These communities are geographically compact but represent meaningfully elevated risk of contested evictions, slower court timelines, and higher tenant advocacy activity compared to county averages.
On the other end, the county's western suburbs offer substantially lower risk. Chesterfield (population 49,574) scores 2.2/10, and Wildwood and Kirkwood both score 2.3/10. Florissant, the county's largest city at 51,773 residents, comes in at 4.7/10, well above the county average and a signal worth noting for landlords with or considering holdings in the north county. Risk in St. Louis County is genuinely hyper-local: two cities separated by a single ZIP code boundary can sit more than two full score points apart.
State-level laws that apply here
Missouri's landlord-tenant framework, codified under RSMo § 441 (Landlord and Tenant), applies uniformly across St. Louis County. For nonpayment of rent, Missouri requires no advance written notice before filing a rent-and-possession action (RSMo § 535.010). A material lease violation triggers a 10-day notice requirement under RSMo § 441.060, and ending a month-to-month tenancy requires 30 days notice under the same section. Understanding the Missouri eviction process is therefore the first step for any out-of-state investor acquiring here, since these notice mechanics differ from most other states.
Court filing fees range from $70 to $180, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $150, and attorney fees from $500 to $3,000 depending on case complexity. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 21 to 45 days; contested matters can run 45 to 120 days. Missouri eviction costs are relatively modest at the low end but can climb quickly when a tenant disputes the action. Missouri has no just-cause eviction requirement and state law preempts any local attempt to impose rent control, which gives landlords operating here a cleaner regulatory floor than many comparable metros.
With an average poverty rate of 9.3% and a renter share of 29.6% of households, St. Louis County's risk is concentrated in specific pockets rather than spread uniformly, making the city-level grid above the most actionable starting point for acquisition and underwriting decisions.
Eviction filings in Missouri
The Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System covers Missouri statewide (no county-level tracker available for St. Louis County). In the past month, 3,285 statewide filings were recorded, 0.88× the historical baseline (below baseline).
- 3,285Past month (state)
- 44,239Past 12 months
- 0.93×vs baseline (12 mo)
Historical eviction filings in St. Louis County
From 2003 to 2017, eviction filings in St. Louis County increased 72%. The peak was 10,775 filings in 2016.2
- 5,9432003
- 10,775Peak (2016)
- 10,2292017
Data covers 2000–2018, the full span of the Princeton Eviction Lab's national county court-records dataset.
How St. Louis County compares
St. Louis County's average eviction-risk score of 2.5/10 ranks it 4th of 115 Missouri counties by risk, placing it in the higher-risk tier of the state. Among its closest peer counties, Jackson County (4.92/10) and Clay County (4.46/10) post higher risk scores, while Cass County (3.81/10) and St. Charles County (3.4/10) offer meaningfully lower-risk landlord environments within the same metro region.
Jasper County (4.04/10) comes closest to St. Louis County's profile. The intra-county spread from 3/10 to 5.2/10 across 79 cities is wide enough that careful city selection within St. Louis County can produce risk outcomes comparable to peer counties with lower county averages.