Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
De Soto gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $248K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. It grades C overall, 167th among Missouri's 247 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and its crime rate is higher than 91% of U.S. towns, with 37 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. De Soto’s average trip to work is 36 minutes, above both Missouri’s towns (22 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). De Soto has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Louis J. and Harriet Rozier House and Central School Campus.
Where De Soto beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far De Soto is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 3%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,989 in 1880, 6,449 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 4 maps from 1930 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in De Soto, 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 De Soto.
De Soto trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with St. Louis and other neighbors, but it has seen reported crime rise by a fifth or more.
24% of De Soto adults smoke cigarettes. De Soto beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 19% of De Soto adults report frequent physical distress.
| De Soto | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 30% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | De Soto | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 12.7% | 8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.6% | 13.7% |
| More smokers | 23.5% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Desoto 73 school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Desoto SR. High, with 862 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vineland Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 653 | B |
| Desoto SR. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 862 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes rose from 203 to 265 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Property crime runs at 35 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Missouri rate, most of it theft.
The property crime rate in De Soto is 35 per 1,000 residents. De Soto reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less. The violent crime rate in De Soto is 5.7 per 1,000 residents.
| De Soto | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 35 per 1,000 residents | 12.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
71 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 71 flood insurance claims have been paid out in De Soto.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
De Soto has chilly winters and warm summers. De Soto’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
De Soto has about as many jobs (2,273) as working residents, but only 337 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 36.4 minutes, against 23.5 across Missouri.
Most working residents leave De Soto for work: only 13% work in town. The top destinations are St. Louis (7%), Hillsboro (4%) and Fenton (3%).
| De Soto | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 13% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $248K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 28 miles.
Typical home values rose 5.9% in the year to September 2026. 58% of households own their home in De Soto.
| De Soto | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $809 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.2 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is City Soccer Park, at 46 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City Soccer Park | — | 46 |
| 2. Walther Park | 0.1 mi | 25 |
| 3. Spross Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of De Soto
About 4 of every 100 De Soto residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
2 places in De Soto on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in De Soto.
City in Missouri, Jefferson County, United States
De Soto is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 6,449 at the 2020 census and the city is part of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Isaac Van Metre was first to settle in De Soto in the year of 1803. The town was organized in 1857 and is named for the explorer Hernando De Soto, who claimed the Louisiana Territory for Spain. De Soto was the city closest to the mean center of U.S. population in 1980. The city celebrated its Bicentennial in 2003. The city made national news on and after May 6, 2003, when straight-line winds and a tornado struck the junior high gymnasium.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
De Soto grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #167 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D− for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. 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 A+.
De Soto was platted in 1857 and has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 8 notable people were born here, including Jay Nixon and Frank Wilcox.
