Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Valley Park grades B overall, ranked 103rd of 247 in Missouri. 9% of its land is conserved. Its schools rank ahead of 93% of Missouri towns and residents are healthier than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $292K, 3.6 years of the St. Louis metro’s $80K median household income. The biggest park or preserve is Simpson Park, at 191 acres. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 75% of U.S. towns.
Where Valley Park beats most towns.
8.9% of the town is conserved land, across 10 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Valley Park is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 899 in 1920, 6,885 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 7 maps from 1933 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Valley Park. 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 Valley Park, 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 Valley Park.
Valley Park is healthier than towns with similar incomes, trades workers with St. Louis and other neighbors and is one of Missouri’s best towns for the outdoors.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #4 of 247 in Missouri.
On this, Valley Park is above both Missouri’s towns (2.1%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). 3.9 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The trail density in Valley Park is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Valley Park | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.9% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Simpson Park | — | 191 |
| 2. Meramec Levee Recreation Park | 0.1 mi | 74 |
| 3. North Buder Park | — | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Valley Park school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Park Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 343 | C |
| Valley Park SR. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 230 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Against the 10,318 U.S. towns with household incomes like Valley Park’s, it is healthier than 95%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Missouri is tooth loss: 9.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.8% statewide.
32% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Valley Park, where Missouri’s towns sit at 38% and U.S. towns at 36%. 29% of adults have obesity in Valley Park. Valley Park beats the Missouri average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Valley Park | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Valley Park | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.9% | 15.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.9% | 13.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1,958 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 88 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 1,958 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Valley Park.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Valley Park has chilly winters and warm summers. Valley Park’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Valley Park has about as many jobs (3,234) as working residents, but only 111 people both live and work here. 21.1% of workers work from home, against 13% across Missouri.
Most working residents leave Valley Park for work: only 3% work in town. 21% of Valley Park workers work from home. Jobs based in Valley Park grew to 3,234 in 2023, 446 more than in 2013.
| Valley Park | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 9% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 13% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.8% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median property tax bill is $3,506, against $1,948 across Missouri, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Valley Park home is worth about $292,000, up 1.2% in a year, 10% above the Missouri typical home.
| Valley Park | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,443 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
17 within 15 miles of the center of Valley Park
About 5 of every 100 Valley Park residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
City in Missouri, United States
Valley Park is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 6,885 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Valley Park.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Park | #103 | B | C− | — | A | A− |
| Manchester | #33 | A− | C | B | A | A |
| Twin Oaks | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Valley Park reports no FBI crime data of its own. Twin Oaks isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Valley Park with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Valley Park grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #103 of 247 in Missouri. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. 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 C−.
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