FLICKR/DAVE HERHOLZ
St. Louis is No. 9 on a new list of undervalued cities.
The study, by SmartAsset, surveyed the 189 most populous cities in country, assessing everything from the price per square foot for residential real estate to the unemployment rate to residents with a college degree to walkability. Surprisingly, in light of some of our less favorable placements on lists like this, the study included FBI crime reporting data. Oh, and it also included the number of rainy days per year (good thing they looked at the 30-year average and not this spring!).
By SmartAsset's metrics, Pittsburgh was No. 1. St. Louis and Chicago were the only Midwestern cities to make the top ten.
Per the authors,
St. Louis, Missouri, coming in at ninth place, is the westernmost city in our top 10. St. Louis does have the fourth-highest high school graduation rate in the top 10, at 88%, which ranks 91st in the study overall. Furthermore, 28% of the adults in the city’s population have at least a bachelor’s degree, the fourth-highest rate in the top 10 and 61st out of 189 cities overall. The unemployment rate in St. Louis is 3.9%, the second-lowest rate in the top 10.
Zillow data shows that actual cost per square foot in St. Louis is $104.25, while our model estimates that it should cost about $100 more than that, at$205.58. For those looking to get a smart start, it’s also one of the best cities for new college grads.
SmartAsset's top 25 cities in the U.S. are below:
We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected]
