Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 55/100
C−
Median home value$249,500
St. Louis $244,800
Median rent$886/mo
St. Louis $1,113/mo
Cost-burdened households21%
St. Louis 26%
Waterloo
Monroe County11,129 residentsWaterloo Cusd 5
59
C
Suburbgrade score
33rd of 60 St. Louis suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by amenities.
59
St. Louis median 60
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Waterloo yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 59 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Waterloo is like to live in, by category
Bars show Waterloo against St. Louis. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 76/100
B
Within-state proficiency85th pct
St. Louis median 68th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.4
St. Louis median 14.5
Graduation rate—
St. Louis median 94%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 64/100
C+
Housing cost index103
St. Louis 100
Eff. tax rate1.26%
St. Louis 1.16%
Local sales tax8.96%
St. Louis median 8.44%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 48/100
D+
Mean commute26.8 min
St. Louis 24.9 min
Under 30 minutes50%
St. Louis 65%
Transit stops / sq mi1.7
St. Louis median 1.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 39/100
D−
Restaurants & cafés18
St. Louis median 32 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
St. Louis median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks15
St. Louis median 21 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 71/100
B−
Median household income$98,711
St. Louis $80,196
Unemployment2.3%
St. Louis 4.2%
Professional occupations48%
St. Louis 45%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Waterloo yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Waterloo on amenities
Waterloo's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
St. Louis21 mi from WaterlooA 57 C− Clayton23 mi from WaterlooA− 77 B University City24 mi from WaterlooB+ 62 C Kirkwood22 mi from WaterlooB 76 B Crestwood19 mi from WaterlooB 74 B Concord16 mi from WaterlooB 69 B− Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Waterloo
Is Waterloo, IL a good place to live?
Waterloo scores 59 out of 100, 33rd of 60 St. Louis suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Waterloo expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $249,500, 2% above the St. Louis median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.26%. $886/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Waterloo?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Waterloo sit at the 85th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a — graduation rate and a 16.4 student–teacher ratio. Waterloo is served by Waterloo Cusd 5. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Waterloo?
The mean commute is 26.8 min, with 50% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 13% working from home. Transit density is 1.7 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Waterloo?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 18 restaurants and cafés and 15 parks, which grades D− on amenities.
Are the homes in Waterloo old or new?
The median home in Waterloo was built in 1991 — newer than the St. Louis median of 1973. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 82% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.