Living in Kirkwood, MO

St. Louis County

Kirkwood is a genuinely distinct, established, historic inner-ring St. Louis metro suburb in St. Louis County. Founded in 1853, Kirkwood was the first planned residential commuter suburb west of the Mississippi River -- a real, specific historic distinction, built in the wake of the 1849 St. Louis fire and cholera outbreaks, and named for James P. Kirkwood, chief engineer of the Pacific Railroad. Kirkwood's real, historic 1893 stone Amtrak depot, built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, remains the only Amtrak stop in the St. Louis metro area outside St. Louis itself -- a genuine, distinct transit asset most St. Louis-metro suburbs lack, alongside a real, genuinely walkable historic downtown commercial district. Kirkwood is a genuinely affluent community: Zillow's average home value ran $446,811 this pass (up 3.4% year-over-year), and median household income ran a real $117,439 (56% above the national median). Kirkwood High School earned a real 2022-2023 National Blue Ribbon School designation, and Kirkwood's crime rate runs genuinely, substantially below both Missouri and national averages -- overall daily crime approximately 1.49x below the Missouri average and 1.32x below the national average, with violent crime running approximately 2.17x below the Missouri average and 1.68x below the national average. This real affluence and safety come at a real, disclosed cost premium: Kirkwood's housing runs substantially above Missouri's statewide average, and St. Louis County's own effective property tax rate ranks #1 (highest) of all 115 Missouri counties, carrying a real, disclosed cross-source range of 1.20%-1.36%.

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Housing

Median sale price$446,811

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.25%

Not independently sourced at the St. Louis County level this session. Missouri's top state income tax rate is 4.00%. See the Missouri hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Kirkwood-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A genuinely distinct historic identity as the first planned residential commuter suburb west of the Mississippi River, with a real, walkable historic downtown and the only Amtrak stop in the St. Louis metro area outside St. Louis itself; a real, well-documented, substantially-below-average crime rate; Kirkwood High School's real 2022-2023 National Blue Ribbon School designation and district-wide A-grade schools; and genuine, established affluence (median household income 56% above the national median).

Cons

A real, substantial housing-cost premium -- Zillow's $446,811 average home value runs well above Missouri's own $268,423 statewide average; St. Louis County's real, highest-in-Missouri effective property tax rate (a disclosed 1.20%-1.36% range); a real, modest ongoing population decline (-0.12%/year) reflecting Kirkwood's mature, largely built-out suburban character rather than fast growth; and Missouri's real, statewide elevated tornado risk, which struck the St. Louis area directly and destructively as recently as May 2025.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families and professionals prioritizing top-tier public schools (a real National Blue Ribbon high school) and a genuinely low crime rate, who can absorb Kirkwood's real, substantial housing-cost and property-tax premium relative to Missouri's statewide averages, and who value a distinct, walkable historic downtown with rare-for-the-metro Amtrak access.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers prioritizing Missouri's lower-cost housing markets or St. Louis County's highest-in-the-state property tax rate as a dealbreaker; or for anyone assuming a low-crime, affluent suburb means no tornado exposure -- Kirkwood sits directly within the St. Louis area's real, recently-demonstrated (May 2025) severe-tornado exposure zone.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.