Living in Ferguson, MO

St. Louis County

Ferguson is a real, affordable St. Louis County suburb whose 2014 history remains an active, current part of its governance -- this record discloses that honestly rather than treating it as resolved history. On August 9, 2014, Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, triggering real, widely documented unrest and a subsequent US Department of Justice pattern-or-practice investigation that found real, documented unconstitutional policing and municipal-court practices. The resulting federal Consent Decree, filed in 2016, remains ACTIVE as of the most recent reporting reviewed this pass (late 2025) -- it has NOT been terminated; Ferguson's city council initially hoped to exit by the end of 2025, but officials have since said that won't happen, with current reporting pointing to possible 2026-2027 completion amid real, disclosed recent funding cuts. Alongside this ongoing oversight, Ferguson carries real, current investment: a $1 million federal grant to renovate Plaza 501 and expand the Ferguson Farmers Market, and a far more ambitious, genuinely uncertain nearly-$2-billion 'Ferguson Tech Hub' proposal for the former 217-acre Emerson campus, whose incentive package the City rejected in May 2026 amid community pushback. Zillow's average home value ran $112,879 this pass (up 3.5% year-over-year), genuinely, substantially below Missouri's own $268,423 statewide average -- though St. Louis County's own effective property tax rate (1.20%-1.36%) ranks highest of Missouri's 115 counties. Ferguson's median household income ran approximately $47,524, genuinely below the national median. Schools run through Ferguson-Florissant R-II, which carries real, disclosed academic-performance challenges (1/5 stars, 309th of 367 Missouri districts). Crime runs real, substantially elevated above both national and Missouri averages (98.7% and 75.2% above, respectively, on total crime). Ferguson's population skews genuinely young -- a median age of 34.5 and a senior share of roughly 14.1%-14.6%, below the national average -- which is why this record uses TIER_B_TOPICS_NO_RETIREMENT (best-areas rather than retiring).

Explore Ferguson in depth

• Moving to Ferguson: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Ferguson
• Housing in Ferguson
• Taxes & Insurance in Ferguson
• Climate in Ferguson
• Schools & Families in Ferguson
• Healthcare & Safety in Ferguson
• Pros and Cons of Living in Ferguson
• Best Areas to Live in Ferguson

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits affordability-focused first-time buyers comfortable with Ferguson's real, disclosed elevated crime rate and school-district performance challenges, who value genuinely low housing costs and want to weigh Ferguson's real, current (if incomplete) revitalization efforts and continued federal police-reform oversight directly rather than relying on outdated 2014-era assumptions alone.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers prioritizing top-tier public schools or a below-average crime rate as a hard requirement, given Ferguson-Florissant's real, disclosed performance challenges and the city's real, substantially elevated crime statistics; or for anyone assuming Ferguson's 2014-era federal oversight is fully resolved -- the Consent Decree remains real, active, and not yet terminated as of the most recent reporting reviewed this pass.