The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In St. Louis For 2022


We used data and science to identify the neighborhoods in St. Louis that are the real pits.

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St. Louis's neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.

It seems as if there's a neighborhood for everyone in St. Louis.

And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in St. Louis. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.

So the question arises, which St. Louis neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?

Today, we'll use science and data to determine which St. Louis hoods need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the St. Louis area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Shaw ranks way above the rest.

We examined 79 of St. Louis's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to St. Louis's reputation.

So what's the worst neighborhood to live in St. Louis for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Hyde Park looks to be the worst neighborhood in St. Louis.

Read on to see how we determined the places around St. Louis that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.

Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of St. Louis.

For more Missouri reading, check out:

Worst Neighborhoods In St. Louis

The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In St. Louis For 2022

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 1,766
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $13,525 (worst)
Median Income: $17,742 (2nd worst)
More on Hyde Park:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 941
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $39,875 (5th worst)
Median Income: $20,035 (5th worst)
More on Fairground Neighborhood:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 1,326
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $31,250 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $20,405 (6th worst)
More on College Hill:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 998
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $54,533 (14th worst)
Median Income: $17,567 (worst)
More on Fountain Park:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,680
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $19,200 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $19,192 (3rd worst)
More on Hamilton Heights:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 5,076
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $46,385 (7th worst)
Median Income: $20,499 (7th worst)
More on Jeffvanderlou:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 5,002
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $47,573 (9th worst)
Median Income: $24,483 (2worst)
More on Wells-Goodfellow:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,367
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $55,300 (15th worst)
Median Income: $27,263 (26th worst)
More on North Riverfront:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 3,592
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $44,040 (6th worst)
Median Income: $19,323 (4th worst)
More on Near North Riverfront:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,569
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $46,888 (8th worst)
Median Income: $25,594 (22nd worst)
More on Mark Twain:  Data

Methodology: How we determined the worst St. Louis neighborhoods in 2022

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in St. Louis:

  • High unemployment (Less jobs)
  • Low median income (Less pay)
  • Low population density (No things to do)
  • Low home values (No one's willing to pay to live here)
  • High crime (Estimated)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a "Worst Score".

The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of St. Louis.

Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around St. Louis to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 79 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.

Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around St. Louis

Well there you have it -- the worst of the neighborhoods in St. Louis with Hyde Park landing at the bottom of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in St. Louis aren't all bad. Shaw takes the cake as the best place to live in St. Louis.

We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.

For more Missouri reading, check out:

Where Are The Worst Neighborhoods To Live In St. Louis For 2022?

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Hyde Park 1,766 $13,525 $17,742
2 Fairground Neighborhood 941 $39,875 $20,035
3 College Hill 1,326 $31,250 $20,405
4 Fountain Park 998 $54,533 $17,567
5 Hamilton Heights 2,680 $19,200 $19,192
6 Jeffvanderlou 5,076 $46,385 $20,499
7 Wells-Goodfellow 5,002 $47,573 $24,483
8 North Riverfront 1,367 $55,300 $27,263
9 Near North Riverfront 3,592 $44,040 $19,323
10 Mark Twain 4,569 $46,888 $25,594
11 Old North Saint Louis 1,438 $119,133 $23,160
12 The Ville 1,546 $66,925 $24,094
13 Baden 4,442 $67,238 $31,199
14 Saint Louis Place 2,720 $87,283 $20,792
15 Kingsway West 2,463 $50,680 $22,624
16 Penrose Park 89 $56,100 $21,042
17 The Greater Ville 5,222 $57,442 $21,783
18 Walnut Park West 2,780 $50,067 $23,188
19 Marine Villa 2,436 $94,560 $22,154
20 Academy 2,766 $125,000 $21,662
21 Riverview 599 $64,600 $28,068
22 Penrose 5,411 $63,122 $28,528
23 Kingsway East 3,102 $64,725 $20,592
24 Walnut Park East 4,219 $39,460 $23,817
25 Midtown 5,141 $79,686 $26,969
26 Lewis Place 1,552 $94,617 $30,867
27 Covenant Blu-Grand Center 3,065 $94,067 $21,615
28 Calvary-Bellefontaine Cemetery 974 $56,500 $29,097
29 Patch 3,010 $77,371 $33,787
30 La Salle 214 $91,400 $49,444
31 Vandeventer 1,970 $136,217 $37,959
32 Peabody-Darst-Webbe 1,652 $177,725 $48,840
33 Tiffany 1,145 $130,600 $38,472
34 Gravois Park 5,567 $52,300 $27,816
35 Visitation Park 708 $203,250 $27,720
36 Kosciusko 1,334 $87,600 $32,066
37 Mount Pleasant 3,978 $69,233 $21,027
38 Benton Park West 4,424 $81,957 $27,137
39 Kings Oak 259 $167,200 $79,338
40 North Point 4,287 $53,260 $34,782
41 Carondelet 8,588 $83,462 $33,642
42 Cheltenham 687 $135,900 $56,762
43 Dutchtown 17,018 $76,896 $26,416
44 The Hill 2,665 $142,367 $46,151
45 West End 7,093 $157,344 $32,716
46 Soulard 2,939 $207,300 $50,458
47 Downtown 4,886 $98,675 $53,428
48 Forest Park Southeast 3,041 $167,775 $38,950
49 Debaliviere Place 3,188 $94,800 $48,868
50 The Gate District 2,845 $176,760 $44,535
51 Tower Grove East 6,721 $125,520 $40,601
52 Mckinley Heights 1,050 $214,900 $56,396
53 Holly Hills 2,442 $124,800 $48,218
54 Botanical Heights 1,058 $180,275 $44,517
55 Southwest Garden 4,289 $125,371 $43,567
56 Fox Park 2,920 $140,950 $46,428
57 Bevo Mill 12,660 $91,100 $38,066
58 Compton Heights 1,390 $325,250 $43,790
59 Lafayette Square 3,414 $229,940 $52,261
60 Downtown West 4,690 $180,933 $51,208
61 Tower Grove South 13,130 $142,150 $45,919
62 Ellendale 1,951 $126,183 $54,495
63 Missouri Botanical Garden 1,205 $174,050 $46,431
64 Boulevard Heights 9,805 $116,520 $49,372
65 Oarondelet Park 837 $190,800 $62,704
66 Franz Park 1,682 $116,333 $55,406
67 Benton Park 3,836 $167,600 $50,431
68 Central West End 15,762 $292,806 $45,552
69 Clifton Heights 2,624 $125,100 $51,116
70 North Hampton 8,316 $138,829 $48,005
71 Clayton-Tamm 1,772 $127,567 $53,881
72 Hi-Pointe 2,160 $116,000 $52,757
73 Lindenwood Park 8,741 $154,377 $57,626
74 Princeton Heights 7,620 $137,220 $54,126
75 Skinker-Debaliviere 4,717 $271,467 $63,278
76 Saint Louis Hills 8,066 $238,900 $63,348
77 Wydown-Skinker 665 $438,400 $102,455
78 South Hampton 6,733 $170,089 $57,638
79 Shaw 6,982 $209,833 $55,118

Editor's Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don't freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in St. Louis.

About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.