Best Places63121, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 63121, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
63121 ranks 32,492nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 63121
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
63121's strengths and weaknesses
Where 63121 ranks high
- TransitBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 90% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 85% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 63121 ranks low
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 63121
A household needs to earn about $31,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 63121 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $48,834, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 63121's effective rate of 1.64%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 63121
63121 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 63121.
Who works in 63121, and how
Work in 63121 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in 63121
63121 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 96% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 63121 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 63121, month by month
63121 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 72° | 58° | 46° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 71° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 63121
St Louis Lambert International sits about 5 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 7.5 million passengers in 2025, with 114 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 63121
Schools across 63121 average an F, better than 1% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Fairview PrimaryC− · 30% proficient
- Marvin Elem.D− · 12% proficient
- Jefferson Elem.D− · 12% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ritenour MiddleD · 21% proficient
- Kenneth C. Hanrahan Elem.F · 10% proficient
- Ferguson MiddleF · 8% proficient
Top high schools
- Steam Academy At Msb High SchoC− · 30% proficient
- Ritenour Sr. HighD · 22% proficient
- The Innovation School At CvF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 63121 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
63121 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 63121 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 63121 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 11% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 63121
Is 63121 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 63121 ranks 32,492nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on transit, cell coverage, and biking, and lowest on the schools and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 63121 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $106,473. The overall cost of living runs about 25% below the national average. Set against a $48,834 median income, cost of living beats 21% of zip codes.
Is 63121 safe?
63121 is safer than 1% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,377 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 63121?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 44 with lows near 24. That works out to about 59 pleasant days a year, more than 6% of zip codes.
Is 63121 good for families?
Schools beat 1% of zip codes, crime safety beats 1%, and childcare runs $1,131 a month.
Compare 63121 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 63121. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 63121 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
63121 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 63121: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 63121: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 63121: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 63121: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
63121 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.