Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 17,807, settled in 1877.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Clayton grades A overall, 14th of 247 graded towns in Missouri. Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Its schools rank ahead of 98% of Missouri towns and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 96% of the country. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $891K, 11.1 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. 85% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Clayton, above both Missouri’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (29%). Clayton is home to Fontbonne University. Clayton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Clayton beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Meramec Elem. | K–5 | 368 |
| Glenridge Elem. | K–5 | 321 |
| Ralph M. Captain Elem. | K–5 | 286 |
Census counts: 402 in 1890, 17,355 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 6 maps from 1933 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Clayton is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clayton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
8 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
8 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
7 mi Stadium & arenaEnterprise Center
21 mi Theme parkMid America AdventureCahokia: 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 · Enterprise Center: Haaron755, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mid America Adventure: Chris Hagerman from New Port Richey, FL, US, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clayton, 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 Clayton.
Clayton is shaped by its college students, has schools in the top 5% of Missouri and draws workers from St. Louis and beyond.
At 11.1 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income, the typical home (about $891K) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Missouri towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
The median rent in Clayton is $1,692 a month. Typical home values rose 7.7% in the year to September 2026. 55% of households own their home in Clayton.
| Clayton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,692 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 55% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #2 of the 247 Missouri towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $891K.
Its public schools are run by the Clayton school district. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wydown MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 604 | A+ |
| Clayton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 788 | A+ |
| Meramec Elem.Top results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 368 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Missouri is tooth loss: 6.5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.8% statewide.
24% of Clayton adults have obesity. Among 247 Missouri towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Clayton. 26% of Clayton adults have high blood pressure.
| Clayton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 17% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Clayton | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.5% | 15.8% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.9% | 8% |
| More binge drinkers | 19% | 16.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
37,658 jobs are based in Clayton, 6.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.6 minutes, against 23.5 across Missouri.
Most working residents leave Clayton for work: only 13% work in town. Clayton’s median household income is $123,000. Jobs based in Clayton grew to 37,658 in 2023, 3,087 more than in 2013.
| Clayton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 9% | 11% |
| Median household income | $123,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8% | 14% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.4 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Shaw Park, 50 acres with 1 miles of trail.
| Clayton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.6% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shaw Park | 1 mi | 50 |
| 2. Oak Knoll Park | — | 20 |
| 3. Concordia Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 12.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 84% of Missouri’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 10 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Clayton has chilly winters and warm summers. 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
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clayton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
24 within 15 miles of the center of Clayton
College town 26 of every 100 Clayton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
Where Clayton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
11 places in Clayton on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Clayton.
City in Missouri, U.S.
Clayton is a city in and the county seat of St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, that borders the west side of the independent city of St. Louis. The population was 17,355 at the 2020 census. Organized in 1877, the city was named after Ralph Clayton, a citizen who donated the land for the St. Louis County courthouse.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Clayton.
At #14 in MO, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Ladue (A) comes closest. University City next door grades lower for schools (D to Clayton’s A+) and higher for cost of living (C− to D−).
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton | #14 | A | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| University City | #168 | C | C− | C | D | A− |
| Richmond Heights | #96 | B | D | D− | A+ | A+ |
| St. Louis | #227 | D | B | D− | D− | C |
| Ladue | #18 | A | D | B+ | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Clayton grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #14 of 247 in Missouri. It grades A+ for health, B+ for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. 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 D−.
7 notable people were born here, including James Franciscus and Samuel Pearson Goddard Jr..
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