Real estate · County · Missouri
Real estate businesses in St. Louis County, MO
The real estate businesses in St. Louis County, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,178 of 2,229 scored counties
#77 of 82 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 1,859
- 130 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 990
- +4.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $6.2B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $15,102 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 78
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 44.9
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 990,911
- −1.2% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in St. Louis County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of St. Louis County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
For real estate businesses, St. Louis County has a Groundwork market score of 25 (lower middle): #2,178 of 2,229 scored counties and #77 of 82 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,859 real estate businesses in St. Louis County. 130 of them (7%) are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. That comes to 44.9 for every 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 38.5.
At $15,102 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in St. Louis County spend about $6.2B a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 22% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in St. Louis County was 990 in 2023, up 4.1% from 2019. That is one for every 418 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in St. Louis County. Population estimates show St. Louis County declined 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How St. Louis County compares
The same measures for Missouri and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | St. Louis County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 44.9 | 32.9 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 78 | 97 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 418 | 540 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.1% | +15.3% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $15,102 | $13,809 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $82,936 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 951 → 990+4.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,828
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $806M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5,344Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,859130 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,443The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in St. Louis County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in St. Louis County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 990,911−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 413,849
- Median age
- 41.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 509 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,958
- Median household income
- $82,936+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,036
- Median home value
- $276,800
- Jobs located here
- 655,776
- Daytime population
- 1,175,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of St. Louis County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Missouri, with St. Louis County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Andrew County, MO | 71 | 6 | 8.6 | 373 | +0.7% | #174 of 2,229 |
| 2Dallas County, MO | 69 | 7 | 10.3 | 270 | +5.2% | #229 of 2,229 |
| 3Ste. Genevieve County, MO | 66 | 5 | 7.0 | 447 | +1.1% | #324 of 2,229 |
| 4Lawrence County, MO | 63 | 22 | 15.1 | 195 | +3.7% | #458 of 2,229 |
| 5Warren County, MO | 63 | 31 | 22.4 | 148 | +9.2% | #473 of 2,229 |
| 6McDonald County, MO | 61 | 7 | 8.2 | 346 | +3.1% | #524 of 2,229 |
| 7Bates County, MO | 61 | 6 | 9.7 | 302 | +2.9% | #528 of 2,229 |
| 8Benton County, MO | 60 | 7 | 8.2 | 340 | +5.7% | #559 of 2,229 |
| 9Lincoln County, MO | 60 | 60 | 26.3 | 126 | +11.4% | #584 of 2,229 |
| 10Washington County, MO | 58 | 6 | 6.7 | 422 | +1.6% | #641 of 2,229 |
| 77St. Louis County, MO | 25 | 1,859 | 44.9 | 78 | −1.2% | #2,178 of 2,229 |
Other business types in St. Louis County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in St. Louis County, MO?
There are 1,859 real estate businesses on map listings in St. Louis County as of September 2026. 130 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 990 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 4.1% from 2019. Another 5,344 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in St. Louis County, MO spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $6.2B a year, or $15,102 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 1,859 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 22% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 413,849 households in St. Louis County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis County, MO compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
St. Louis County has 44.9 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 78, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, St. Louis County would have about 1,443, against 1,859 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 418 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis County, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis County at 990,911 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 413,849 households. The median household income in St. Louis County is $82,936 a year, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. St. Louis County scores 25 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #2,178 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Louis County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in St. Louis County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of St. Louis County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.