RANK #249 / 1001 NAT · #10 / 22 MO · POP 66,999
1YR FORECAST: +0.2%
5YR OUTLOOK: +32%
St. Francois County, Missouri, stands out for its unique blend of natural beauty and historical significance, particularly evident in towns like Bonne Terre and Farmington. Bonne Terre is home to the historic Bonne Terre Mine, a former lead mine now famous for its underground lake and tours, including scuba diving opportunities. Located about an hour south of St. Louis, the county offers a community feel with access to outdoor recreation. St. Francois State Park, encompassing forested ridges and the Big River, provides extensive hiking, equestrian trails, canoeing, and camping. The region's landscape, part of the St. Francois Mountains, features rugged hills and clear streams. Life in St. Francois County offers a balance of small-town living with convenient access to larger city amenities. Public schools in the county are generally above average, with Farmington Senior High School and Jefferson Elementary School among the top-ranked. The economy is supported by sectors such as healthcare and social assistance, retail trade, and manufacturing, with employers like BJC Parkland Health Center and Farmington Correctional Center. Recent economic developments include infrastructure improvements in Farmington, with county and state contributions to road projects and a new roundabout.
St. Francois County's data profile doesn't fit any single market profile cleanly — its housing, labor, and demographic signals pull in different directions (home prices +1.1% YoY, population +0.2%, wages +5.4%). About 414 U.S. counties show this kind of mixed-signal pattern.
See all 414 Idiosyncratic Markets counties →Overvalued relative to economy
Below national median
Moderate climate & terrain
Above national median (15x)
Housing looks overvalued at 10.7x — home prices are high relative to local economic output. The typical U.S. county is 4–6x.
Estimated local headcount ranges. Larger employers shown as floor + "+"; smaller employers show exact counts where reported.
Bars show trailing 12-month growth. The dashed Forecast bars are the model's next-12-month projection; the whisker marks the ±1% range (cooling–accelerating).
Source: Redfin · Census BPS — Browse sales on Redfin →
Source: CDC/NCHS vital statistics via County Health Rankings (2020–2022 avg). Rates per 100,000 population. Grade based on homicide rate relative to national average (~6.3). Learn more →
Bars show percentile rank among all 1001 counties.
With a Boom Town Index score of 75/100, St. Francois County sits in the upper half of all 1001 ranked counties. and median household income stands at $57,477 — indicators that suggest solid fundamentals even if it's not among the fastest-growing counties in MO.
Housing in St. Francois County is roughly in line with national affordability norms. The median home costs $169,300 and the income-to-home-value ratio sits at 0.34, with rents averaging $794/month. Not a bargain, but not a stretch for most local earners either.
Population and employment in St. Francois County are both close to flat — population +0.2% YoY and jobs -0.1%. Home values shifted +1.1% over the past 12 months. A steady-state county, neither expanding quickly nor shrinking.
In significant numbers — 5.06% of St. Francois County's current population relocated from another state, well above the national norm. That level of in-migration usually signals a county where jobs, affordability, or quality of life are pulling people in from elsewhere.