CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

38.72° N · 90.26° W · GEOID 2937178

Jennings

St. Louis County, Missouri · part of the St. Louis, MO metro

MissouriJennings, MOJenningsJennings

The short answer

Jennings is home to 12,918 people. Median household income is $38,984 a year and median rent is $961 a month, 29.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $68,800, about 1.8x annual median household income.

What sets Jennings apart is how tight household budgets are. Money left after rent is $27,900, against $49,300 in its closest peers. Also notable: Home value growth is 1.2% a year, against 7.2% a year in its closest peers.

3OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Jennings scores better than 3% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 140th of 140 in Missouri.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%52
Economy 20%5
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%15
Education 10%3
Commute 10%40
Growth 5%28

Not rated: safety, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$961
30% below the median place
Median household income
$38,984
51% below the median place
Median home value
$68,800
78% below the median place
Unemployment
8.9%
82% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Jennings

  • AffordabilityThe median rent takes 29.6% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 94% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 140 Missouri places we track.
  • HousingThe median home costs 1.8 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 99% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 140 Missouri places we track.
01

Moving to Jennings

St. Louis County loses about 4.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in38,403
Moved out41,969
Net−3,566

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

St. Louis city, MO11,7558,205+3,550
St. Charles County, MO4,0546,788−2,734
Jefferson County, MO2,8483,740−892
Cook County, IL500620−120

Within Missouri, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MissouriOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$72K
Leavers$80K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of St. Louis County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
2.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into St. Louis County report $71,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $79,700, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$38,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $961 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,184 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $68,800.
Getting to work
27 minutes each way on average; 8.8% work from home; 13.6% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Waynesboro, PA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
2.8%
51% below the median place
Income of households moving out8
$79,731
13% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
-4.4
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureJenningsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year12.8%51% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.0%1% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-4.4below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$71,5771% above
Income of households moving out8County figure$79,73113% above
02

What it costs to live here

Home values are about 40% lower than we would expect for a place with these incomes, education levels, housing age and household types in the same metro area. That can mean good value, or drawbacks these figures do not capture, such as crime, schools or location.

Jennings29.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$38,440
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
29.6%
45% above the median place
Home price to income
1.8x
54% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
30%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$27,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Jennings, $961 a month, and local prices for everything else (98.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Jennings, but easier on the budget

Places that match Jennings on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Waynesboro, PA9519.5% vs 29.6%$26,400Compare
Center Line, MI9417.3% vs 29.6%$16,700Compare
Ravenna, OH9418.9% vs 29.6%$22,300Compare
Webster, MA9422.5% vs 29.6%$21,400Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Jennings.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Jennings? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$68,800
78% below the median place
Vacant homes1
24.3%
245% above the median place
Homeownership1
45.1%
32% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureJenningsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$96130% below
Rent to income129.6%45% above
Property tax rate12.0%119% above
Home price to income11.8x54% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure95.16% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,34916% below
HUD area median income4County figure$113,5006% above
Property tax paid (median)1$1,36958% below
Median home value1$68,80078% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.8%18% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure43.6%15% below
Homeownership145.1%32% below
Renters paying 30%+165.4%29% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,18437% below
Vacant homes124.3%245% above
Median year built119551% below
03

Work and pay

Compared with the 21 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Great Bend, KS, Moberly, MO and Nevada, MO), unemployment here is higher: 8.9% against a typical 5.4%.

Median household income1
$38,984
51% below the median place
Commutes by transit1
13.6%
above the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$22,364
44% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate25.2% 2.3×
Unemployment8.9% +82%
Works from home8.8% −29%
Mean commute27 min +7%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureJenningsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$38,98451% below
Income per person1$22,36444% below
Unemployment18.9%82% above
Average annual pay6County figure$78,74119% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure589,803291% above
Poverty rate125.2%134% above
Mean commute127 min7% above
Works from home18.8%29% below
Commutes by transit113.6%above (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Bachelor's or higher is 10.8%, 66% below the median place.

Bachelor's or higher1
10.8%
66% below the median place
High school or higher1
82.6%
11% below the median place
No health insurance1
13.4%
109% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband88.1% −5%
Household size2.3 −8%
Median age39.4 +1%
All 9 people measures
MeasureJenningsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population112,9183388th largest
Population change since 202071.5%32% above
Median age139.41% above
Bachelor's or higher110.8%66% below
High school or higher182.6%11% below
Household size12.38% below
Born abroad1County figure8.3%5% below
No health insurance113.4%109% above
Homes with broadband188.1%5% below
05

Life in Jennings

The nearest National Park Service site is Gateway Arch National Park, about 8 miles away.

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, 17 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Seed, Miles A., Carriage House listed 1987

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents3.1 −70%
Playgrounds per 10k1.6 −84%
Grocery stores per 10k3.1 +46%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.8 −93%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Gateway Arch National Park 8 miles
  • Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site 13 miles
  • Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park 53 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.1 +1%
Shops32.3 +7%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.0 +22%
Doctors' offices and clinics32.4 +60%
Child care centers2.5 +9%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site11
8.0
74% below the median place
Public school students13
2,269
54% below the median place
Public schools13
7
22% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureJenningsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13722% below
Public school students132,26954% below
Students per teacher1316.15% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure21.11% above
Shops per 10k9County figure32.37% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure5.022% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure32.460% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.59% above
Parks per 10k103.170% below
Playgrounds per 10k101.684% below
Grocery stores per 10k103.146% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.893% below
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site118.074% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11350% above
National Register listings12192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 99.9, 11% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Jennings. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk15
99.9
11% above the median place
Good air days16
31.2%
54% below the median place
Median air quality index16
56
30% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureJenningsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure88°F2% above
January average low14County figure23°F9% below
Average temperature14County figure56°F2% above
Annual precipitation14County figure42.3 in3% below
Natural hazard risk15County figure99.37% above
Hurricane risk15County figure45.136% below
Tornado risk15County figure98.120% above
Wildfire risk15County figure61.71% above
Heat wave risk15County figure99.911% above
Median air quality index16Metro figure5630% above
Good air days16Metro figure31.2%54% below
08

Jennings in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 30% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 30% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Jennings does better than 52% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 0%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$961/mo (2024)$1,220/mo$1,000 to $1,490/mo+4.1%
Median household income$38,984 (2024)$49,000$41,500 to $58,000+3.9%
Median home value$68,800 (2024)$92,000$67,000 to $126,000+4.9%
Population13,093 (2025)13,28012,740 to 13,850+0.3%

The median home would be worth 1.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 1.8 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Jennings

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Prichard, AL$922$36,588Compare
Buena Vista, MI$906$41,999Compare
Plymouth, PA$930$39,167Compare
Mexia, TX$887$42,222Compare
Mexia, TXPlymouth, PABuena Vista, MIPrichard, ALJennings, MOJenningsPrichardBuena VistaPlymouthMexiaJenningsPrichardBuena VistaPlymouthMexia

Places built like Jennings

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Jennings performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Jennings, MO29.6%3.1%/yr1.5%
Great Bend, KS16.8%2.6%/yr-3.2%Compare
Moberly, MO21.0%3.6%/yr-0.6%Compare
Nevada, MO20.2%4.5%/yr2.4%Compare
St. Ann, MO22.4%1.9%/yr-2.9%Compare
Arkansas City, KS18.9%3.1%/yr-1.4%Compare
Sedalia, MO20.6%5.1%/yr4.1%Compare

Common questions

Is Jennings a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 3 out of 100, better than 3% of the places we rate and 140th of 140 in Missouri. The median rent takes 29.6% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 94% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 140 Missouri places we track. The median home costs 1.8 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 99% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 140 Missouri places we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 14 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Jennings expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 29.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $68,800.

What salary do you need to live in Jennings?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $38,440 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Jennings?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Prichard, AL, Buena Vista, MI, Plymouth, PA and Mexia, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Jennings with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Jennings itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/jennings-missouri

Citytistics. “Jennings, Missouri.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/jennings-missouri/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.