Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Manchester grades A− overall, ranked 33rd of 247 in Missouri, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 93% of the country and its public schools beat 90% of Missouri towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $98K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $376K, 4.7 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. 62% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Manchester, above both the Missouri town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Manchester has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Manchester Methodist Episcopal Church and Henry Avenue Historic District.
Where Manchester beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Manchester | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 15.8% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Wren Hollow Elem. | K–5 | 409 |
| Barretts Elem. | K–5 | 378 |
| Hanna Woods Elem. | K–5 | 360 |
Lyceum, TheWhere Manchester’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 Manchester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,021 in 1960, 18,333 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 6 maps from 1945 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Manchester takes its name from Manchester in Greater Manchester, England, 4,080 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionManchester, settled in 1824, takes its name from Manchester, a city in Greater Manchester, England.
9 more U.S. towns are named after Manchester:Manchester, CT59,773Manchester Township, NJ46,556Manchester, TN13,776Manchester, WA5,956North Manchester, IN5,230+4 more
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Manchester. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi State parkCahokia
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaThe Dome at America's Center
10 mi Theme parkMid America Adventure
17 mi Stadium & arenaBusch Stadium
17 mi National ParkGateway Arch National Park2.2M visitors a year
17 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 Manchester, 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 Manchester.
Manchester fares better on crime within Missouri than nationally and has less tooth loss than most of Missouri, but it has property taxes about twice the Missouri norm.
Its widest gap with Missouri is tooth loss: 7.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.8% statewide.
For adults in Manchester, the share who get no exercise outside work is 20%. In Manchester, 27% of adults have obesity, and 11% report frequent physical distress.
| Manchester | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| What stands out | Manchester | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 15.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7% | 13.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Parkway C-2 school district runs its public schools. The largest public high school is South High, with 1,485 students. Three of the 10 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 803 | A− |
| South HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,485 | A |
| Barretts Elem.Top results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 378 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $3,922, against $1,948 across Missouri, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Home values are up 2.3% over the year to September 2026. For Manchester, the going rate for rent is $1,322 a month. A home in Manchester typically sold within 5 days of listing.
| Manchester | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,322 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
22.7% of workers work from home, against 13% across Missouri.
Half of commuters travel less than 10 miles. Among residents in Manchester, 6.4% live below the poverty line. Just 3% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. For Manchester, the average trip to work is 21 minutes.
| Manchester | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $98,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A winter brings about 10 inches of snow, with January nights at 23° and July afternoons at 89°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 80% of Missouri’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 9 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
The violent offense rate in Manchester is 0.5 per 1,000 residents. The level of property crime in the town is 12.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Manchester | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.3 per 1,000 residents | 12.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Manchester’s risk rating from FEMA is 63 of 100. Since 1979, 60 flood insurance claims have been paid out in the town. FEMA puts 40% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to heat waves, and 34% to inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Manchester households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2025.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
There are 1.0 miles of trail across 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Paul A. Schroeder Park, at 47 acres. The trail density for Manchester comes to 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Manchester | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Margaret Stoecker Park | 0.4 mi | 4 |
| 2. Paul A. Schroeder Park | 0.3 mi | 47 |
| 3. Manchester Ball Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
21 within 15 miles of the center of Manchester
About 6 of every 100 Manchester residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
3 places in Manchester on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Missouri, United States
Manchester is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 18,333 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Manchester.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | #33 | A− | C | B | A | A |
| Winchester | — | — | B | — | A | A |
| Twin Oaks | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Valley Park | #103 | B | C− | — | A | A− |
| Ballwin | #5 | A+ | C | A− | A | A |
Winchester has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Winchester and Valley Park report no FBI crime data of their own. Twin Oaks isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Manchester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Manchester grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #33 of 247 in Missouri. It grades A for health, B for safety and A for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Manchester reports less crime per resident than 62% of U.S. towns, a B Safety Grade: 9 violent and 222 property crimes in 2025.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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