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Ballwin vs Manchester

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: home values (+17% in Ballwin) and homeowners (+9.2 pts renters in Manchester).

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Ballwin, MOAn outdoors townMissouri · 31,279 people
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Manchester, MOAn outdoors townMissouri · 18,160 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

BallwinAn outdoors town
Outdoors#17 most walkable in MO0.9 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves Schools#24 for schools in MOof 226 towns HealthHealthier than 94%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Ballwin →
ManchesterAn outdoors town
Outdoors#14 most walkable in MO1.0 miles of trails across 7 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 93%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Schools#35 for schools in MOof 226 towns All about Manchester →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Home values+17%
Homes cost more in Ballwin
Ballwin $377,100Manchester $323,100
Homeowners+9.2 pts renters
Manchester has more renters
Ballwin 84.2%Manchester 75%
Average commute4 min
Manchester has the shorter commute
Ballwin 26 minManchester 21 min
★ What stands out · Report cards

Manchester places higher on 8 of 19 MO lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Missouri ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
A−BallwinSafer than 84% of U.S. towns BManchesterSafer than 64% of U.S. towns
Schools
ABallwinBetter than 90% of districts in the state AManchesterBetter than 87% of districts in the state
Health
ABallwinHealthier than 94% of U.S. towns AManchesterHealthier than 93% of U.S. towns
7Ballwin
8Manchester

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 235 towns #203#128 Shortest commuteGetting around · 261 towns #197#118 SafestSafety · 156 towns #5#28 Highest incomeIncome · 261 towns #17#38 Fastest growingGrowth · 260 towns #120#135 Best schoolsSchools · 226 towns #24#35 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 261 towns #69#57 Most affordableCost of living · 260 towns #238#228

Left end = #1 in Missouri. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Ballwin’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $200 more a month in Ballwin

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Ballwin$2,570/mo
Typical home $414K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16% · or rent about $1,418/mo · Housing →
Manchester$2,370/mo
Typical home $379K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.21% · or rent about $1,322/mo · Housing →

The difference: $200 a month, about $2,400 a year, between Ballwin and Manchester.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Ballwin and Manchester share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BallwinManchesterBallwinManchester
Ballwin ↔ Manchester2.5 miles apart · They share a border
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BallwinManchester
Snow a year10″10″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th63rd
Outdoors & history
BallwinManchester
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land0.6%1.9%
Settled1804—
National Register places—3
Archive photos3—
Famous people born here32
Community
BallwinManchester
Library hours a week—64 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BallwinManchester
People
Population 31,279Highest 18,160Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.3%Highest MO: +2.8% +1.3%Lowest MO: +2.8%
Median age 42.6±2.8Highest 9% above MO 38.2±2.1Lowest about the MO average
Ballwin and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.3%±2.2Lowest MO: 22.3% 24.7%±3.6Highest MO: 22.3%
Manchester and Ballwin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 19.1%±2Highest MO: 17.9% 16%±2.1Lowest MO: 17.9%
Ballwin and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 65.2%Highest MO: 32.4% 62.4%Lowest MO: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.3%±1.4Highest MO: 5.7% 5.9%±1.6Lowest MO: 5.7%
Ballwin and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $124,626±$8kHighest 76% above MO $97,801±$20kLowest 38% above MO
Ballwin and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $377,100±$10kHighest 64% above MO $323,100±$17kLowest 40% above MO
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,418±$70Highest 37% above MO $1,322±$69Lowest 28% above MO
Ballwin and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,374Highest 125% above MO $3,922Lowest 101% above MO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 42.9%±11.6Highest MO: 45.6% 42.2%±14.7Lowest MO: 45.6%
Ballwin and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.8%Lowest MO: 12.6% 6.4%Highest MO: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 84.2%Highest MO: 68.1% 75%Lowest MO: 68.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 2 yrs older than MO 1977Highest 1 yr older than MO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 9% above MO 21 minLowest 9% below MO
Work from home 20.7%±2.6Lowest MO: 13% 22.7%±6Highest MO: 13%
Manchester and Ballwin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 3.5%Highest 3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miHighest 9.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.44Lowest 0.63Highest
Top workplaceoutside town St. Louis (13%)St. Louis (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ManchesterFew work in Ballwin
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.6%Lowest 1.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.9 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 132Lowest 143Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #24 of 226 in MO#35 of 226 in MO
School district PARKWAY C-2 · ROCKWOOD R-VIPARKWAY C-2
High school in town None in townSouth High
Students per teacherat that high school — 14.5
Missouri average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Ballwin neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 6d

Life in Ballwin

1 neighbor in Ballwin can answer.

Manchester neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Manchester’s Town Square.

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Bordering Ballwin

E
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Ellisville10,002 people · $367K homes
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Chesterfield49,574 people · $473K homes
C
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Clarkson Valley2,584 people · $867K homes
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Town and Country11,607 people · $929K homes

Towns like Ballwin

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Kirkwood29,363 people · $451K homes
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Webster Groves23,712 people · $388K homes
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Wildwood35,133 people · $496K homes
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Lake St. Louis18,066 people · $406K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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