Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ferguson grades D overall, 236th among Missouri's 247 graded towns, mostly because of health and safety. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its crime rate is higher than 96% of U.S. towns, with 195 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. Ferguson’s violent crime rate is 10.9 per 1,000 residents, where Missouri’s towns sit at 2.2 and U.S. towns at 1.6. Ferguson has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Wildwood House and Church Street Commercial District.
Where Ferguson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
21,203 counted in 2010 and 18,527 in 2020; an estimated 17,953 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 3% since 2020, after 12.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Ferguson is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 4%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 185 in 1880, a peak of 28,759 in 1970, 18,527 in 2020. The archive holds 19 old photos and papers going back to 1994 and 6 maps from 1933 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ferguson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
10 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
10 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
14 mi LandmarkMonks Mound
12 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 Ferguson, 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 Ferguson.
Ferguson has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Missouri rate and has poverty well above the Missouri rate.
30% of adults worry about having enough food in Ferguson. Ferguson beats the Missouri average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 17% of adults have diabetes in Ferguson.
| Ferguson | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 37% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Ferguson | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 8.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.7% | 16.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 21.7% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Ferguson-Florissant R-II. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferguson MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 582 | D− |
| STEAM Academy at MSB High SchoLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 434 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 10.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Missouri rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes rose from 759 to 801 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Ferguson’s property crime rate is 33.8 per 1,000 residents. Ferguson reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 1.4 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income, the typical home (about $115K) costs less against local pay than in 96% of Missouri towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The typical value, about $115K, is 8% below its February 2025 peak.
The typical Ferguson home is worth about $115,000, down 1.4% in a year, 57% below the Missouri typical home. 48% of Ferguson households own their home.
| Ferguson | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,119 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Ferguson for work: only 3% work in town. The median household income in Ferguson is $48,000. Jobs based in Ferguson fell to 4,659 in 2023, 539 fewer than in 2013.
| Ferguson | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 17% | 9% | 11% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 13% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ferguson 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
1.6 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Forestwood Park, at 29 acres.
| Ferguson | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jeske Park | 0.6 mi | 8 |
| 2. January-Wabash Park | 0.4 mi | 24 |
| 3. Hudson Park | 0.3 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
283 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 35 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 283 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ferguson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
24 within 15 miles of the center of Ferguson
About 4 of every 100 Ferguson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
Where Ferguson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Ferguson on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Ferguson.
City in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Ferguson is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Per the 2020 census, the population was 18,527, and is predominantly Black.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Ferguson.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Berkeley (D) is closest. Normandy next door grades lower for schools (D− to Ferguson’s C−) and higher for cost of living (A+ to B+).
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferguson | #236 | D | B+ | D− | C− | D− |
| Dellwood | #182 | C− | A− | — | D | D |
| Cool Valley | — | — | A− | — | C− | D− |
| Calverton Park | — | — | A− | — | C− | C− |
| Jennings | #213 | D | A− | — | D | D− |
| Normandy | #185 | C− | A+ | D | D− | C+ |
| Kinloch | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Berkeley | #235 | D | B+ | D− | C− | D− |
Cool Valley and Calverton Park have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Dellwood, Cool Valley, Calverton Park and Jennings report no FBI crime data of their own. Kinloch isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ferguson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ferguson grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #236 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. That is 1.4 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 B+.
6 notable people were born here, including Tyron Woodley and David Singmaster.
.jpg){kind=link}
