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 Missouri thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in St. Louis. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which St. Louis neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science 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 Wydown-Skinker ranks way above the rest.
We examined 76 of St. Louis’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to St. Louis’s reputation.
Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in St. Louis for 2024? According to the most recent census data, North Riverfront 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.
For more Missouri reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Missouri
- Cheapest Places To Live In Missouri
- Most Dangerous Cities in Missouri
The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In St. Louis For 2024
/10
Population: 992
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,509
Property Crime Per 100k: 9,998
Median Home Value: $66,900 (17th worst)
Median Income: $21,848 (4th worst)
More on North Riverfront: Data
/10
Population: 690
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,203
Property Crime Per 100k: 9,261
Median Home Value: $42,400 (5th worst)
Median Income: $24,768 (6th worst)
More on Fairground Neighborhood: Data
/10
Population: 1,394
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,642
Property Crime Per 100k: 8,738
Median Home Value: $35,700 (worst)
Median Income: $30,928 (17th worst)
More on Hyde Park: Data
/10
Population: 1,438
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 4,169
Property Crime Per 100k: 9,275
Median Home Value: $119,133 (3worst)
Median Income: $23,160 (5th worst)
More on Old North Saint Louis: Data
/10
Population: 4,300
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,779
Property Crime Per 100k: 8,834
Median Home Value: $66,486 (16th worst)
Median Income: $28,916 (15th worst)
More on Baden: Data
/10
Population: 1,026
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,288
Property Crime Per 100k: 5,653
Median Home Value: $44,650 (6th worst)
Median Income: $29,056 (16th worst)
More on College Hill: Data
/10
Population: 1,715
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,878
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,132
Median Home Value: $36,650 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $24,790 (7th worst)
More on The Ville: Data
/10
Population: 2,720
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,525
Property Crime Per 100k: 5,228
Median Home Value: $87,283 (24th worst)
Median Income: $20,792 (3rd worst)
More on Saint Louis Place: Data
/10
Population: 1,036
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,067
Property Crime Per 100k: 8,870
Median Home Value: $94,150 (28th worst)
Median Income: $20,313 (2nd worst)
More on Fountain Park: Data
/10
Population: 794
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,463
Property Crime Per 100k: 7,317
Median Home Value: $141,550 (36th worst)
Median Income: $26,993 (10th worst)
More on Visitation Park: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous St. Louis neighborhoods in 2024
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 plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in St. Louis:
- High crime (Estimated)
- 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)
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 criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of St. Louis.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in St. Louis.
Skip to the end to see the list of all 76 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around St. Louis
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in St. Louis with North Riverfront landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in St. Louis are North Riverfront, Fairground Neighborhood, Hyde Park, Old North Saint Louis, Baden, College Hill, The Ville, Saint Louis Place, Fountain Park, and Visitation Park.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in St. Louis aren’t all bad. Wydown-Skinker takes the cake as the best place to live in St. Louis.
The best neighborhoods in St. Louis are Wydown-Skinker, Shaw, Hi-Pointe, South Hampton, and Skinker-Debaliviere.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more Missouri reading, check out:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In St. Louis For 2024?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Riverfront | 992 | $66,900 | $21,848 |
| 2 | Fairground Neighborhood | 690 | $42,400 | $24,768 |
| 3 | Hyde Park | 1,394 | $35,700 | $30,928 |
| 4 | Old North Saint Louis | 1,438 | $119,133 | $23,160 |
| 5 | Baden | 4,300 | $66,486 | $28,916 |
| 6 | College Hill | 1,026 | $44,650 | $29,056 |
| 7 | The Ville | 1,715 | $36,650 | $24,790 |
| 8 | Saint Louis Place | 2,720 | $87,283 | $20,792 |
| 9 | Fountain Park | 1,036 | $94,150 | $20,313 |
| 10 | Visitation Park | 794 | $141,550 | $26,993 |
| 11 | Academy | 2,052 | $75,750 | $26,993 |
| 12 | Jeffvanderlou | 5,145 | $86,600 | $28,202 |
| 13 | Wells-Goodfellow | 5,099 | $50,925 | $31,929 |
| 14 | Near North Riverfront | 1,924 | $80,067 | $33,430 |
| 15 | The Greater Ville | 4,746 | $48,514 | $27,034 |
| 16 | Walnut Park East | 2,944 | $36,700 | $28,359 |
| 17 | Hamilton Heights | 2,214 | $45,400 | $17,706 |
| 18 | Peabody-Darst-Webbe | 1,652 | $177,725 | $48,840 |
| 19 | Marine Villa | 2,506 | $89,300 | $42,765 |
| 20 | Walnut Park West | 3,207 | $51,925 | $39,976 |
| 21 | Patch | 2,664 | $88,833 | $31,735 |
| 22 | Kingsway West | 2,327 | $42,333 | $41,442 |
| 23 | Covenant Blu-Grand Center | 3,005 | $85,250 | $34,628 |
| 24 | Calvary-Bellefontaine Cemetery | 1,478 | $56,300 | $25,286 |
| 25 | Mark Twain | 2,630 | $53,333 | $33,367 |
| 26 | Lewis Place | 1,314 | $136,533 | $39,432 |
| 27 | Penrose | 4,852 | $57,612 | $34,968 |
| 28 | Vandeventer | 2,011 | $143,550 | $43,602 |
| 29 | Mount Pleasant | 3,828 | $68,433 | $25,864 |
| 30 | West End | 5,834 | $152,757 | $38,437 |
| 31 | La Salle | 219 | $183,750 | $46,194 |
| 32 | Gravois Park | 5,442 | $80,150 | $39,860 |
| 33 | Kingsway East | 3,215 | $45,033 | $50,854 |
| 34 | Soulard | 2,532 | $202,367 | $62,454 |
| 35 | Midtown | 5,335 | $219,000 | $34,520 |
| 36 | Kings Oak | 453 | $153,800 | $47,300 |
| 37 | Cheltenham | 863 | $153,800 | $47,300 |
| 38 | Dutchtown | 15,510 | $88,917 | $36,261 |
| 39 | Benton Park West | 4,967 | $163,600 | $41,418 |
| 40 | Kosciusko | 872 | $203,533 | $50,127 |
| 41 | Carondelet | 7,807 | $101,000 | $45,028 |
| 42 | Botanical Heights | 1,058 | $180,275 | $44,517 |
| 43 | Holly Hills | 2,263 | $138,800 | $62,928 |
| 44 | North Point | 2,784 | $59,575 | $49,364 |
| 45 | Forest Park Southeast | 2,693 | $224,933 | $54,949 |
| 46 | The Hill | 2,953 | $167,275 | $49,191 |
| 47 | Bevo Mill | 12,266 | $104,889 | $45,637 |
| 48 | Mckinley Heights | 1,297 | $215,000 | $60,558 |
| 49 | Ellendale | 1,612 | $142,050 | $59,254 |
| 50 | Lafayette Square | 3,031 | $228,500 | $60,980 |
| 51 | Central West End | 14,347 | $374,067 | $52,315 |
| 52 | Franz Park | 1,879 | $134,933 | $64,172 |
| 53 | Southwest Garden | 4,209 | $185,560 | $52,906 |
| 54 | Boulevard Heights | 10,275 | $134,244 | $55,402 |
| 55 | Downtown West | 6,511 | $224,667 | $54,611 |
| 56 | Clayton-Tamm | 1,912 | $152,800 | $59,750 |
| 57 | Debaliviere Place | 2,848 | $202,733 | $62,791 |
| 58 | Benton Park | 3,957 | $215,825 | $65,561 |
| 59 | North Hampton | 7,117 | $165,910 | $57,118 |
| 60 | Tower Grove East | 6,551 | $203,800 | $57,203 |
| 61 | Clifton Heights | 2,722 | $167,300 | $61,217 |
| 62 | Oarondelet Park | 1,028 | $195,400 | $112,500 |
| 63 | Tower Grove South | 12,364 | $157,429 | $61,906 |
| 64 | Downtown | 5,505 | $208,067 | $66,526 |
| 65 | The Gate District | 3,405 | $233,000 | $81,916 |
| 66 | Missouri Botanical Garden | 1,296 | $293,350 | $89,436 |
| 67 | Fox Park | 2,809 | $181,275 | $64,681 |
| 68 | Princeton Heights | 6,897 | $145,062 | $61,387 |
| 69 | Compton Heights | 1,531 | $318,800 | $68,781 |
| 70 | Saint Louis Hills | 8,066 | $238,900 | $63,348 |
| 71 | Lindenwood Park | 8,607 | $166,750 | $66,158 |
| 72 | Skinker-Debaliviere | 4,531 | $306,967 | $67,465 |
| 73 | South Hampton | 7,622 | $201,657 | $62,089 |
| 74 | Hi-Pointe | 2,516 | $173,267 | $66,613 |
| 75 | Shaw | 6,108 | $281,900 | $75,439 |
| 76 | Wydown-Skinker | 762 | $392,100 | $110,357 |
“Until World War II, Mount Auburn was a largely white, working-class neighborhood filled with frame bungalows with wide front porches. Neighbors knew each other, their kids walked to Mount Auburn Elementary School, up to Woolworths or J.C. Penney on East Grand, and over to the Major Theater on Samuell Avenue. It was your typical all-American neighborhood. No, it was your typical ALL-WHITE neighborhood. Non-white Americans were not welcome (like many neighborhoods in Dallas). Dallas neighborhoods were once severely segregated by race and ethnicity. Now, in these enlightened times, we don”t do that any more. Racial segregation has given way to economic segregation, thanks in large part to unchecked gentrification. Just like the neighborhoods east of Central Expressway, and south of Henderson, the poor and the middle class families will continue to disappear as redevelopment accelerates.
I grew up in old north st. louis I believe that was the area the address was 1621 knapp st 63106 I really would like some info on that area. and also what would it take to turn these neighborhoods around. What if a builder went in and built all new homes would that bring the middle class back to these neighborhoods. I’m guessing the crack and cocaine epidemic brought them down in the first place. I’m so serious about trying to find a way to rebuild my old neighbor hood.
I work as a home health nurse in 63106 and there’s been a lot of rebuilding. Lots of parks and new red brick housing.
Please stop walking and around the problems on St. Louis’s north side. The problem is and has been the influx of blacks into n St. Louis in about 1968. I realize you may not know this. Or just don’t want to admit it. I lived there and I know it’s true. It was once a good neighborhood. Now it’s a jungles. Ask the current mayor why nothing has been done build fixed. By any mayor since about 1962 years. Thank you b
I knew that. You would question my comments non the less they are true I was there. You weren’t. If asked I can give you more reasons. Which in sure you would like better
You think you places and parks will keep bad elements out. It would take more then that to feel safe again. My boy friend thinks that we should not fear it but I just want a place that my children can walk around with looking around every 5 mins due to violence