Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 16,228.
Lemay gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $171K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 70th of 247 graded towns in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 77% of U.S. communities, with heat waves at the top. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. Lemay has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Jefferson Barracks Historic District and Mount Hope Cemetery. 3.6% of working residents work locally in Lemay, against 13% in Missouri’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Lemay Park, at 20 acres.
Where Lemay beats most towns.
Where Lemay’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 Lemay is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 17,215 in 2000, 17,117 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 6 maps from 1933 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lemay. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
8 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
8 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
8 mi Stadium & arenaEnterprise Center
21 mi Theme parkMid America AdventureCahokia: 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 · Enterprise Center: Haaron755, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mid America Adventure: Chris Hagerman from New Port Richey, FL, US, CC BY 2.0
Lemay is unincorporated, so St. Louis 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 Lemay.
Lemay is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
At 2.1 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income, the typical home (about $171K) costs less against local pay than in 88% of Missouri towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
The typical Lemay home is worth about $171,000, up 3.5% in a year, 36% below the Missouri typical home. Lemay’s median rent is $881 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Hancock Place school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hancock SR. High, with 369 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock Place Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 647 | C |
| Hancock SR. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 369 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Lemay for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Lemay has added 265 jobs, to 3,788 in 2023. 15% of Lemay residents live below the poverty line.
| Lemay | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 12% | 9% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Since 1978, 135 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lemay.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,030 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lemay’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Lemay beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Lemay.
| Lemay | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 38% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Lemay | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.6% | 15.8% |
| More smokers | 19.2% | 16% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lemay has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Lemay is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Lemay | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lemay Park | 0.4 mi | 20 |
| 2. Jefferson Barracks County Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Black Forest County Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
21 within 15 miles of the center of Lemay
About 3 of every 100 Lemay residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
Place in Missouri, United States
Lemay is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lemay Township, St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 17,117 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Lemay.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemay | #70 | B+ | A | — | B | C |
| St. Louis | #227 | D | B | D− | D− | C |
| Mehlville | #40 | A− | B+ | — | B | B |
| Affton | #25 | A | A− | — | C+ | B+ |
| St. George | — | — | A | — | B | B− |
St. George has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Lemay, Mehlville, Affton and St. George report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lemay with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Lemay grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #70 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
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.
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