What it's like to live in Florissant
Florissant is a smaller city in Missouri with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Florissant deals with household incomes below the national average, cold winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Florissant compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Florissant
Based on Florissant's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,576
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $51,520 a year
- 44% of Florissant renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$29,760
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $14,880
- Homes cost 2.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,288/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,288 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $148,800. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $148,800 · 44% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 24% below US
251 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1286/100k · Florissant Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.8 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; 14% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 88°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 27°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 38% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
17 public schools inside the boundary
There are 17 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, 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 Gateway Arch National Park (14 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Florissant's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and cold winters. A year of median rent ($1,288/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
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