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Cost of living, pay and housing

38.70° N · 90.28° W · GEOID 2953408

Northwoods

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

Limited data population under 5,000

MissouriNorthwoods, MONorthwoodsNorthwoods

The short answer

Northwoods is home to 3,623 people. Median household income is $45,330 a year and median rent is $1,167 a month, 30.9% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). That is above the usual 30% line for cost burden. The median home is valued at $76,000, about 1.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,167
15% below the median place
Median household income
$45,330
44% below the median place
Median home value
$76,000
76% below the median place
Unemployment
4.3%
11% 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 Northwoods

  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $31,800 a year left, less than in 96% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 109 Missouri places.
  • The median home is valued at $76,000, less than in 99% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 140 Missouri places.
  • The median rent takes 30.9% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 95% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 140 Missouri places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $95 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 96% of places its size.
  • Households average 1.99 people, smaller than in 94% of places its size.
01

Moving to Northwoods

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
5.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.0% from another state. County figure.
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
$46,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,167 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,072 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $76,000.
Getting to work
33 minutes each way on average; 18.3% work from home; 1.4% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Brooksville, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
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)
Moved here in the past year1
5.0%
12% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureNorthwoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.0%12% 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

Median home value is $76,000, 76% below the median place.

Northwoods30.9%
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
$46,680
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
30.9%
51% above the median place
Home price to income
1.7x
56% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
31%
over the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$31,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Northwoods, $1,167 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 Northwoods, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Brooksville, FL24.8% vs 30.9%$11,300Compare
Jeannette, PA21.1% vs 30.9%$7,300Compare
Southport, NY21.7% vs 30.9%$18,200Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Northwoods? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$76,000
76% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,072
43% below the median place
Median year built1
1953
1% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureNorthwoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,16715% below
Rent to income130.9%51% above
Property tax rate12.1%127% above
Home price to income11.7x56% 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$1,57052% below
Median home value1$76,00076% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.8%18% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure43.6%15% below
Homeownership178.5%18% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure48.4%4% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,07243% below
Vacant homes1County figure7.3%3% above
Median year built119531% below
03

Work and pay

Median household income is $45,330, 44% below the median place.

Median household income1
$45,330
44% below the median place
Poverty rate1
24.8%
130% above the median place
Income per person1
$26,625
34% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureNorthwoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$45,33044% below
Income per person1$26,62534% below
Unemployment1County figure4.3%11% below
Average annual pay6County figure$78,74119% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure589,803291% above
Poverty rate124.8%130% above
Mean commute133 min31% above
Works from home1County figure18.3%47% above
Commutes by transit1County figure1.4%64% above
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 79.8%, 14% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
79.8%
14% below the median place
Household size1
2.0
20% below the median place
Median age1
48.1
23% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher96.3% +4%
Bachelor's or higher21.9% −32%
No health insurance6.7% +5%
All 9 people measures
MeasureNorthwoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,6236646th largest
Population change since 20207-3.0%below (median 1.1%)
Median age148.123% above
Bachelor's or higher121.9%32% below
High school or higher196.3%4% above
Household size12.020% below
Born abroad1County figure8.3%5% below
No health insurance16.7%5% above
Homes with broadband179.8%14% below
05

Life in Northwoods

666 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 17 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents5.5 −46%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k5.5 2.6×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi5.7 27.3×

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.

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 schools13
271
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students13
134,524
above the median place (median 4,897)
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9
32.4
60% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureNorthwoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13County figure271above (median 9)
Public school students13County figure134,524above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher13County figure12.221% below
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 10k105.546% below
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k105.5160% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi105.7above (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure666above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 444, 131% above the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
444
131% above the median place
Property crime per 100k
783
35% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

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
MeasureNorthwoodsAmong 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

Northwoods in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 32% of the median income in 2030, up from 31% 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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,167/mo (2024)$1,500/mo$1,230 to $1,830/mo+4.3%
Median household income$45,330 (2024)$57,000$48,000 to $67,500+3.9%
Median home value$76,000 (2024)$105,000$76,000 to $145,000+5.5%
Population3,579 (2025)3,5503,410 to 3,700−0.1%

The median home would be worth 1.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 1.7 now.

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

09

Places like Northwoods

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

PlaceRentIncome
Brooksville, FL$1,137$54,926Compare
Zephyrhills, FL$1,148$52,108Compare
Yeadon, PA$1,213$49,759Compare
Jeannette, PA$863$49,188Compare
Jeannette, PAYeadon, PAZephyrhills, FLBrooksville, FLNorthwoods, MONorthwoodsBrooksvilleZephyrhillsYeadonJeannetteNorthwoodsBrooksvilleZephyrhillsYeadonJeannette

Common questions

Is Northwoods a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $31,800 a year left, less than in 96% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 109 Missouri places. The median home is valued at $76,000, less than in 99% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 140 Missouri places. On cost, space and class size it scores 26 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Northwoods expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 30.9% 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 $76,000.

What salary do you need to live in Northwoods?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $46,680 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Northwoods safe?

There were 444 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Northwoods?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Brooksville, FL, Zephyrhills, FL, Yeadon, PA and Jeannette, PA.

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 Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  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 Northwoods with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Northwoods itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/northwoods-missouri

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

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