CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

38.53° N · 90.29° W · GEOID 2941438

Lemay

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

MissouriLemay, MOLemayLemay

The short answer

Lemay is home to 16,228 people. Median household income is $60,399 a year and median rent is $881 a month, 17.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $152,200, about 2.5x annual median household income.

Lemay stands out on how people work. Unemployment is 2.5%, against 5.1% in its closest peers. Also notable: Money left after rent is $50,600, against $62,000 in its closest peers.

68OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Lemay scores better than 68% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 64th of 140 in Missouri.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%82
Economy 20%60
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%42
Education 10%22
Commute 10%59
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, 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
$881
35% below the median place
Median household income
$60,399
25% below the median place
Median home value
$152,200
52% below the median place
Unemployment
2.5%
50% below 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 Lemay

  • GrowthCompared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Austin, MN, Huron, SD and Boone, IA), household income growth here is lower: 3.9% a year against a typical 5.8% a year.
  • HousingHalf the homes were built before 1955, older housing than in 91% of the 2,300 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Lemay

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
6.7% 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
$35,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $881 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,214 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $152,200.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 11.7% work from home; 1.4% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
St. Marys, OH matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
6.7%
16% above the median place
Income of households moving out7
$79,731
13% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-4.4
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLemayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year16.7%16% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.0%1% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-4.4below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$71,5771% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$79,73113% above
02

What it costs to live here

The median home costs 2.5 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 90% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Lemay17.5%
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
$35,240
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.5%
14% below the median place
Home price to income
2.5x
34% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
18%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$50,200
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lemay, $881 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 Lemay, but easier on the budget

Places that match Lemay 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
St. Marys, OH9512.8% vs 17.5%n/aCompare
Belding, MI9213.3% vs 17.5%$3,100Compare
Colona, IL9112.6% vs 17.5%$24,000Compare
Stratford, NJ9114.5% vs 17.5%$33,200Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lemay? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
1955
1% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,214
35% below the median place
Median home value1
$152,200
52% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLemayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$88135% below
Rent to income117.5%14% below
Property tax rate11.3%40% above
Home price to income12.5x34% 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$1,93241% below
Median home value1$152,20052% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.8%18% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure43.6%15% below
Homeownership177.0%16% above
Renters paying 30%+143.8%13% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,21435% below
Vacant homes114.0%98% above
Median year built119551% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 2.5%, 50% below the median place.

Unemployment1
2.5%
50% below the median place
Median household income1
$60,399
25% below the median place
Income per person1
$31,618
21% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate14.7% +36%
Mean commute24 min −5%
Works from home11.7% −6%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLemayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$60,39925% below
Income per person1$31,61821% below
Unemployment12.5%50% below
Average annual pay6County figure$78,74119% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure589,803291% above
Poverty rate114.7%36% above
Mean commute124 min5% below
Works from home111.7%6% below
Commutes by transit1County figure1.4%64% above
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 86.1%, 7% below the median place.

High school or higher1
86.1%
7% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
20.4%
36% below the median place
Born abroad1
14.8%
68% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance9.0% +41%
Median age36.7 −6%
Homes with broadband93.8% +2%
Household size2.5 +2%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLemayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population116,2282812th largest
Median age136.76% below
Bachelor's or higher120.4%36% below
High school or higher186.1%7% below
Household size12.52% above
Born abroad114.8%68% above
No health insurance19.0%41% above
Homes with broadband193.8%2% above
05

Life in Lemay

The nearest National Park Service site is Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, about 4 miles away.

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

  • Mount Hope Cemetery listed 2003

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents3.7 −64%
Playgrounds per 10k7.4 −21%
Grocery stores per 10k2.5 +16%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k3.1 −72%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails6 km 3.2×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi8.1 38.4×

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

  • Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site 4 miles
  • Gateway Arch National Park 8 miles
  • Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park 40 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.

Public schools12
2
78% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site10
3.9
87% below the median place
Public school students12
913
81% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLemayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12278% below
Public school students1291381% below
Students per teacher1215.03% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure21.11% above
Shops per 10k8County figure32.37% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.022% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure32.460% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.59% above
Parks per 10k93.764% below
Playgrounds per 10k97.421% below
Grocery stores per 10k92.516% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k93.172% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails96.4220% above
Transit stops per sq mi98.1above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site103.987% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10350% above
National Register listings11192% 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 Lemay. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk14
99.9
11% above the median place
Good air days15
31.2%
54% below the median place
Median air quality index15
56
30% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLemayAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure88°F2% above
January average low13County figure23°F9% below
Average temperature13County figure56°F2% above
Annual precipitation13County figure42.3 in3% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure99.37% above
Hurricane risk14County figure45.136% below
Tornado risk14County figure98.120% above
Wildfire risk14County figure61.71% above
Heat wave risk14County figure99.911% above
Median air quality index15Metro figure5630% above
Good air days15Metro figure31.2%54% below
08

Lemay in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 18% 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, Lemay does better than 82% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 40%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$881/mo (2024)$1,110/mo$910 to $1,350/mo+3.9%
Median household income$60,399 (2024)$76,500$64,500 to $90,500+4.0%
Median home value$152,200 (2024)$217,000$157,000 to $299,000+6.1%

The median home would be worth 2.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.5 now.

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

09

Places like Lemay

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

PlaceRentIncome
Fond du Lac, WI$913$62,260Compare
Van Buren, AR$847$61,149Compare
Tipton, IN$848$59,828Compare
Waterloo, IA$923$57,480Compare
Waterloo, IATipton, INVan Buren, ARFond du Lac, WILemay, MOLemayFond du LacVan BurenTiptonWaterlooLemayFond du LacVan BurenTiptonWaterloo

Places built like Lemay

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 Lemay performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Lemay, MO17.5%3.9%/yrn/a
Austin, MN16.8%7.2%/yr1.9%Compare
Huron, SD17.3%5.9%/yr2.5%Compare
Boone, IA14.4%3.6%/yr0.2%Compare
South St. Paul, MN16.4%6.8%/yr-1.1%Compare
Overland, MO21.6%6.8%/yr-2.9%Compare
Marshalltown, IA15.5%5.8%/yr-0.2%Compare

Common questions

Is Lemay a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 68 out of 100, better than 68% of the places we rate and 64th of 140 in Missouri. Compared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Austin, MN, Huron, SD and Boone, IA), household income growth here is lower: 3.9% a year against a typical 5.8% a year. Half the homes were built before 1955, older housing than in 91% of the 2,300 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 77 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lemay expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $152,200.

What salary do you need to live in Lemay?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $35,240 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lemay?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Fond du Lac, WI, Van Buren, AR, Tipton, IN and Waterloo, IA.

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. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Lemay with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lemay itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lemay-missouri

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

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