St. Louis County · St. Louis · population 34,349
Where University City stands
At or near all-time high. population shrinking 0.5% per year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 14.1 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in University City on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.1 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →University City has held up across the cycle: home values at $265,370 with +3.6% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.
University City's population is shrinking 0.5% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.
About University City
University City is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, with an estimated population of 34,349. It anchors the St. Louis metro area. The population has contracted 0.5% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in University City is $265,370 as of 2026-04, up 1.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in University City average $1,573 per month, up 4.4% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 61 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
About University City (Wikipedia)
University City is an inner-ring suburb of the city of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was measured at 35,065 by the 2020 census.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Playbook
Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.
Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.
Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for St. Louis County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. St. Louis County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of University City
3 tracked · ranked by median home valueCities like University City
Run the numbers for University City
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the St. Louis area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current University City listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news
- First Alert Forward: University City Target opening brings new retail options, signals shift in developmentKMOV · 3h ago
- University City senior detained weeks before graduationFOX 2 · 2w ago
- 6637 Waterman Ave, University City, MO 63130Realtor.com · 1w ago
- Dierbergs sets opening date for new University City storeKSDK · 3w ago
- Flood expert resigns from U-City commission, warns that city must take actionFOX 2 · 1d ago
- Major Building Projects Taking Shape at UMKCUniversity of Missouri-Kansas City · 1w ago
Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Cities similar to University City
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.