Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 29,331, platted in 1852.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Kirkwood grades A− overall, ranked 34th of 247 in Missouri. Its schools outperform 97% of the state's. The median household earns $121K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $466K, 5.8 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. 68% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Kirkwood, above both the Missouri town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Its National Register listings include Barretts Tunnels and Grace Episcopal Church. Kirkwood's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 93% of U.S. towns.
Where Kirkwood beats most towns.
Barretts Tunnels| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Westchester Elem. | K–5 | 572 |
| W. W. Keysor Elem. | K–5 | 565 |
| George R. Robinson Elem. | K–5 | 463 |
Census counts: 1,280 in 1880, 29,461 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 7 maps from 1933 on.
29 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Kirkwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kirkwood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
13 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
15 mi Theme parkMid America Adventure
13 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
12 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 · 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 · Enterprise Center: Haaron755, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kirkwood, 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 Kirkwood.
Kirkwood has schools in the top 5% of Missouri, fares better on crime within Missouri than nationally and trades workers with St. Louis and other neighbors.
The median property tax bill is $4,691, against $1,948 across Missouri, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Among households in Kirkwood, 77% own their home. The typical home value locally is about $466,000, up 4% in a year, 76% above the Missouri typical home. For Kirkwood, the midpoint rent is $1,348 a month.
| Kirkwood | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,348 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade ranks #4 of the 247 Missouri towns we grade for schools. It comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $466K.
Three of the 13 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Kirkwood R-Vii school district. Also worth knowing: the 4 public schools in Kirkwood teach 2,057 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Kirkwood MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 697 | A |
| Kirkwood SR. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,693 | A+ |
| Westchester Elem.Top results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 572 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Missouri is tooth loss: 7.5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.8% statewide.
Against the Missouri average, Kirkwood comes out ahead on 22 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 1. Only 10 of the 247 Missouri towns we compare have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Kirkwood. For adults in the town, the share who have obesity is 28%.
| Kirkwood | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Kirkwood | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.5% | 15.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.7% | 13.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4.4 miles of trail wind through 9 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Emmeneger Nature Park, 95 acres with 2.4 miles of trail. The density of trails in Kirkwood is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Kirkwood | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Emmeneger Nature Park | 2.4 mi | 95 |
| 2. Kirkwood City Park | 0.7 mi | 90 |
| 3. Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center | 0.7 mi | 44 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The peak summer temperature for Kirkwood comes to 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Kirkwood has about as many jobs (12,063) as working residents, but only 902 people both live and work here. 23% of workers work from home, against 13% across Missouri.
In Kirkwood, 5.3% of residents live below the poverty line. Most people who work leave Kirkwood to do it: just 7% work in town. For Kirkwood, the average trip to work is 20 minutes. The top destinations are St. Louis (19%), Creve Coeur (5%) and Chesterfield (5%).
| Kirkwood | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 9% | 11% |
| Median household income | $121,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 20.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 56% of Missouri’s graded towns.
Kirkwood’s violent offense rate is 1.5 per 1,000 residents. In Kirkwood, the property crime rate is 13 per 1,000 residents.
| Kirkwood | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13 per 1,000 residents | 12.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
123 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 13 properties have flooded more than once.
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Kirkwood after 10 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. Compared with half of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is higher. Since 1979, Kirkwood has seen 123 flood insurance claims paid out. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 36% come from heat waves and 27% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
24 within 15 miles of the center of Kirkwood
About 4 of every 100 Kirkwood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
29 places in Kirkwood on the National Register of Historic Places.
28 notable people were born in Kirkwood.
City in Missouri, United States
Kirkwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis located in western St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 29,461. Founded in 1853, the city is named after James P. Kirkwood, chief engineer of the Pacific Railroad. It was the first planned suburb located west of the Mississippi River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Kirkwood.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkwood | #34 | A− | C− | C+ | A+ | A |
| Des Peres | #78 | B+ | C− | D | A | A+ |
| Glendale | #1 | A+ | C | — | A+ | A+ |
| Sunset Hills | #63 | B+ | D | B− | A | A |
| Warson Woods | — | — | C | — | A+ | A+ |
| Oakland | — | — | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Crestwood | #11 | A | B | B− | A | A |
| Frontenac | #50 | A− | C− | C+ | A+ | A+ |
Warson Woods and Oakland have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Glendale, Warson Woods and Oakland report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Kirkwood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Kirkwood grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #34 of 247 in Missouri. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
28 notable people were born here, including Marianne Moore and Slayyyter.
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