Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Fenton grades A− overall, 44th among Missouri's 247 graded towns. It has 6 miles of trail. Its public schools beat 92% of Missouri towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $352K for a typical one and 4.4 times the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. 14% of the land in Fenton is conserved, above both the Missouri town median (2.1%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Fenton is home to St Louis College of Health Careers-Fenton. Only 9 of the 247 Missouri towns we compare have a higher median age than Fenton.
Where Fenton beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Uthoff Valley Elem. | K–5 | 423 |
| St. Paul Catholic School | PK–8 | 300 |
13.5% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Fenton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 160 in 1900, 3,989 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1897 and 7 maps from 1933 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fenton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
12 mi Theme parkMid America Adventure
15 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
16 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
15 mi Stadium & arenaEnterprise CenterCahokia: 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 · Enterprise Center: Haaron755, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fenton, 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 Fenton.
Fenton draws workers from St. Louis and beyond, is one of Missouri’s best towns for the outdoors and has less food insecurity than most of Missouri.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #3 of 247 in Missouri.
At 0.8 miles per square mile, Fenton’s trail density is above both Missouri’s towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Fenton City Park, at 127 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bud Weil Memorial Park | 0.4 mi | 12 |
| 2. Fenton City Park | 0.2 mi | 127 |
| 3. George Winter Park | — | 73 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $352K.
Its public schools are run by Rockwood R-VI. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uthoff Valley Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 423 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
20,284 jobs are based in Fenton, 10.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Fenton for work: only 8% work in town. 3.5% of residents live below the poverty line in Fenton. Since 2013, Fenton has added 3,947 jobs, to 20,284 in 2023.
| Fenton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $101,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 9% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Missouri is food insecurity: 7% of its 3,143 adults worry about having enough food, against 13.7% statewide.
30% of Fenton adults sleep under 7 hours. Fenton beats the Missouri average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 28% of Fenton adults have obesity.
| Fenton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 19% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Fenton | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7% | 13.7% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.4% | 15.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median property tax bill is $4,408, against $1,948 across Missouri, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Fenton is $1,622 a month. The typical Fenton home is worth about $352,000, up 4.2% in a year, 33% above the Missouri typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Fenton has chilly winters and warm summers. Fenton’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
606 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 67 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 606 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fenton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
22 within 15 miles of the center of Fenton
About 5 of every 100 Fenton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
Where Fenton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 notable people were born in Fenton.
City in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Fenton is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, and a suburb of St. Louis County. The population was 3,989 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Fenton.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fenton | #44 | A− | C− | — | A | A− |
| Sunset Hills | #63 | B+ | D | B− | A | A |
| Murphy | #99 | B | A | — | B− | C |
Fenton and Murphy report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Fenton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Fenton grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #44 of 247 in Missouri. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 C−.
4 notable people were born here, including Ken Schrader and Mike Wallace.
.jpg){kind=link}
