Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 8,026, settled in 1938.
More weak spots than strong ones. Its weakest subject is safety (D−): it reports more crime per resident than 100% of U.S. towns, including 134 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Berkeley’s overall D puts it 235th of 247 in Missouri. Set against the rest, it does better than 6% of U.S. towns. It lags on health as well — on CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. Walkability is its strong suit: it is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Add cost of living to its strengths (B+): a typical home costs about $93K, 1.2 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. Only 14 of Missouri’s 390 towns score lower on civic life.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FBI crime data, 2025 · health, CDC PLACES.
Where Berkeley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Berkeley’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 Berkeley is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 88% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 1%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,577 in 1940, a peak of 19,743 in 1970, 8,228 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Berkeley. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
12 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
11 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
16 mi LandmarkMonks Mound
13 mi Ancient sitePiasaCahokia: Thank You (24 Millions ) views, CC BY 2.0 · The Dome at America's Center: Paul Sableman, 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 · Piasa: Burfalcy, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Berkeley, 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 Berkeley.
Berkeley draws workers from St. Louis and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Missouri rate.
Violent crime runs at 16.7 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Missouri rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Ferguson (D−) to Woodson Terrace (D).
Berkeley’s level of property crime is 50.9 per 1,000 residents, above both Missouri’s towns (12.4) and U.S. towns (9.9).
| Berkeley | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 50.9 per 1,000 residents | 12.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Ferguson-Florissant R-II runs its public schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The 2 public schools in Berkeley teach 580 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 374 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
At 1.2 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income, the typical home (about $93K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Missouri towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. 59.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 45.6% across Missouri.
53% of Berkeley households are owner-occupiers, where Missouri’s towns sit at 64% and U.S. towns at 73%. Typical home values rose 3.2% in the year to September 2026. Homes sold in Berkeley spent a median 31 days on the market.
| Berkeley | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,074 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
For adults in Berkeley, the share who had a checkup this year is 81%. Among 247 Missouri towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Berkeley. In Berkeley, 19% of adults have diabetes, and 42% get no exercise outside work. Of 32 CDC measures, Berkeley beats the Missouri average on 2 and trails it on 22.
| Berkeley | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 12% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 30% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Berkeley | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.1% | 8.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.3% | 16.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 25.2% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
22,985 jobs are based in Berkeley, 6.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 7,537 in 2013 to 22,985.
Berkeley had 22,985 jobs in 2023, up 15,448 from 2013. Only 4% of working residents stay in Berkeley for work; the rest commute out. Also worth knowing: among residents in the town, 35% live below the poverty line. The top destinations are St. Louis (17%), Maryland Heights (6%) and Creve Coeur (4%).
| Berkeley | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 35% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 23° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Of the losses FEMA expects in Berkeley, 30% come from heat waves and 29% from earthquakes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in the town.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Berkeley, the trail network density is 0.1 miles per square mile. 0.5 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. The town has one park or preserve, 10 acres in all.
| Berkeley | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Independence Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
24 within 15 miles of the center of Berkeley
About 2 of every 100 Berkeley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
City in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Berkeley is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,228 at the 2020 census. Portions of St. Louis Lambert International Airport are within the city limits.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Berkeley.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | #235 | D | B+ | D− | C− | D− |
| Kinloch | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hazelwood | #214 | D | B | D | D | C |
| Woodson Terrace | #237 | D | B | D | D | D |
| St. John | #243 | D− | B | D | D | D |
| Ferguson | #236 | D | B+ | D− | C− | D− |
| Bel-Ridge | — | — | A− | — | D− | D− |
| Cool Valley | — | — | A− | — | C− | D− |
Bel-Ridge and Cool Valley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Bel-Ridge and Cool Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Kinloch isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Berkeley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Berkeley grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #235 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
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