What it's like to live in Jennings
Jennings is a small city in Missouri with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and public transit that many commuters actually use. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Jennings deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, larger class sizes than the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Public transit that many commuters use
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
How Jennings compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Jennings
Based on Jennings's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,922
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $38,440 a year
- 61% of Jennings renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$13,760
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $6,880
- Homes cost 1.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 32% below US
$961/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $961 a month. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $68,800. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $68,800 · 61% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in St. Louis County is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
St. Louis County (county-wide)
Safety
923 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Jennings doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Normandy Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 2203/100k · Policed by Normandy Police Department (township-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 14% take public transit; 9% 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▼ 70% below US
11% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Gateway Arch National Park (8 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Jennings'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 college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($961/mo) equals 30% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who would rather not drive.
Other places near Jennings
All Missouri guides →Moving to Bellefontaine Neighbors →
3 mi away · pop. 10,498
Rent $1,151/mo · Income $49,170
Compare with Jennings →Moving to Spanish Lake →
5 mi away · pop. 17,873
Rent $1,160/mo · Income $55,920
Compare with Jennings →Not sure Jennings is the one?
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