Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. Ballwin earns an A+, ranked 5th of 247 in Missouri. The median household earns $125K, residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and its schools rank ahead of 92% of Missouri towns. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. 65% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ballwin, where Missouri’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 29%. Only 10 of Missouri’s 213 towns score higher on safety. The biggest park or preserve is Vlasis Park, at 30 acres.
Where Ballwin beats most towns.
Where Ballwin’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Ballwin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1804, comes before those of 96% of the Missouri towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 84 in 1850, 31,103 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2000 and 6 maps from 1945 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ballwin. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
9 mi Theme parkMid America Adventure
19 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
20 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
27 mi LandmarkMonks MoundCahokia: Thank You (24 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0 · The Dome at America's Center: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Mid America Adventure: Chris Hagerman from New Port Richey, FL, US, CC BY 2.0 · Busch Stadium: Lee Ann Ratledge, CC BY 4.0 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monks Mound: Skubasteve834, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ballwin, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Ballwin.
Ballwin reports less crime than Ellisville or any other graded neighbor, has less food insecurity than most of Missouri and has household incomes well above the Missouri norm.
Its widest gap with Missouri is food insecurity: 6.3% of its 24,016 adults worry about having enough food, against 13.7% statewide.
The share of adults in Ballwin who sleep under 7 hours: 28%. Of 32 CDC measures, Ballwin beats the Missouri average on 22 and trails it on 1. Among adults here, 27% have obesity and 14% report frequent mental distress.
| Ballwin | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ballwin | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.3% | 13.7% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.2% | 15.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Below: Two of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked. Its public schools are run by Rockwood R-VI. 5 public schools serve Ballwin, with 2,218 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selvidge MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 583 | A |
| Henry Elem.Top results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 512 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $4,374, against $1,948 across Missouri, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
A home in Ballwin typically sold within 6 days of listing. Home values are up 2.3% over the year to September 2026. The typical rent here is $1,418 a month.
| Ballwin | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,418 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A− tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; Ellisville (B+) comes closest. At 7.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 97% of Missouri’s graded towns.
For Ballwin, the rate of reported violence is 0.5 per 1,000 residents. The town’s property crime rate is 4.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Ballwin | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 12.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The top destinations are St. Louis (13%), Chesterfield (10%) and Creve Coeur (6%). Ballwin had 6,246 jobs in 2023, up 819 from 2013. 4.8% of residents live below the poverty line here. The median commute is under 11 miles.
| Ballwin | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $125,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 21% | 9% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.5% | 13% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In July, afternoons reach 88°; in January, nights fall to 23°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Ballwin after 12 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 38 flood insurance claims have been paid out here. Expected losses in Ballwin break down as 38% from heat waves and 31% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The density of trails for Ballwin comes to 0.1 miles per square mile. In 6 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.8 miles of trail.
| Ballwin | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. New Ballwin Park | 0.6 mi | 8 |
| 2. Vlasis Park | — | 30 |
| 3. Pointe at Ballwin Commons | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
16 within 15 miles of the center of Ballwin
About 6 of every 100 Ballwin residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
3 notable people were born in Ballwin.
City in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Ballwin is a western suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. Its population was 31,103 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Ballwin.
At #5 in MO, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Chesterfield (A) comes closest.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballwin | #5 | A+ | C | A− | A | A |
| Ellisville | #35 | A− | D | B+ | A | A |
| Chesterfield | #27 | A | D | B | A | A+ |
| Manchester | #33 | A− | C | B | A | A |
| Clarkson Valley | #38 | A− | D | — | A | A+ |
| Town and Country | #28 | A | D | B | A | A+ |
| Winchester | — | — | B | — | A | A |
Winchester has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Clarkson Valley and Winchester report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ballwin with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Ballwin grades A+ overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #5 of 247 in Missouri. It grades A for health, A− for safety and A for schools.
That is 5.1 years of the area's median household income ($80,196 across the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
3 notable people were born here, including Blaine Gabbert and Mary Colleen Daly.
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