Imperial in pictures
Census counts: 4,373 in 2000, 4,407 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1912 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

A town of 5,488.
Imperial gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $328K for a typical one, or 4.1 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 114th of 247 in Missouri. 93% of households own their home in Imperial, where Missouri’s towns sit at 64% and U.S. towns at 73%. Windsor Harbor Road Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Imperial’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 Imperial is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,373 in 2000, 4,407 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1912 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Imperial. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
21 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
19 mi Theme parkMid America Adventure
21 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
27 mi LandmarkMonks MoundCahokia: 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 · Mid America Adventure: Chris Hagerman from New Port Richey, FL, US, CC BY 2.0 · Gateway Arch National Park: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Monks Mound: Skubasteve834, CC BY-SA 3.0
Imperial is unincorporated, so Jefferson County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Imperial.
Most working residents leave Imperial for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Imperial fell to 1,263 in 2023, 256 fewer than in 2013. Imperial’s median household income is $90,000.
| Imperial | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.7% | 13% | 8% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Windsor C-1 school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Windsor High, with 887 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor IntermediateLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 626 | B− |
| Windsor HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 887 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
The median rent in Imperial is $1,446 a month. The typical Imperial home is worth about $328,000, up 3.4% in a year, 24% above the Missouri typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Imperial has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 23° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 61 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Imperial.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Missouri it is healthier than 58% of the 247 graded towns: much of Missouri scores lower on these measures. Against the 9,932 U.S. towns with household incomes like Imperial’s, it is less healthy than 79%, so it trails even them.
Imperial tracks Missouri closely on all 32 CDC measures. 30% of adults feel lonely in Imperial.
| Imperial | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 25% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Imperial
About 6 of every 100 Imperial residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
Census-designated place in Missouri, United States
Imperial is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of St. Louis. The population was 4,947 at the 2020 census. Imperial was originally known as West Kimmswick, the historic Catholic church of St. John’s in Imperial, became an independent parish in 1869.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Imperial.
Imperial and Barnhart report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Imperial with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Imperial grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #114 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C+ for health and B− for schools.
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.