What it's like to live in Ballwin
Ballwin is a small city in Missouri with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Ballwin deals with cold winters.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Cold winters
How Ballwin compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Ballwin
Based on Ballwin's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,836
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $56,720 a year
- 38% of Ballwin renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$75,420
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $37,710
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,418/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,418 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $377,100. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $377,100 · 38% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 23% below US
3.3% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.3%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 84% below US
52 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 434/100k · Ballwin Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 81% above US
65% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site (11 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Ballwin's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoff is cold winters. A year of median rent ($1,418/mo) equals 14% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Ballwin
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