Mid-County St. Louis
Older houses, short commutes and prices from $295,000 to $1.4 million.
Maplewood, Brentwood, University City, Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Clayton and Ladue, compared with 2026 sales.
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2026 sales, side by side
How do the Mid-County towns compare?
Seven towns within a few miles of each other, with medians from $295,000 to $1,430,000. The price follows size and location more than age: most of these houses were built before 1960.
Mid-County St. Louis, 2026 single-family sales inside each city (Brentwood: school district)Show all 7 rowsHide table
| Town | Median price | Median tax bill | Tax as % of price | Median year built | Median sq ft | Median days on market | 2026 sales | School district |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maplewood | $295,000 | $3,716 | 1.26% | 1929 | 1,344 | 5 | 17 | Maplewood-Richmond Heights |
| Brentwood (school district) | $401,000 | $4,130 | 1.03% | 1940 | 1,204 | — | 28 | Brentwood |
| University City | $439,200 | $4,987 | 1.14% | 1935 | 1,815 | 20 | 88 | University City |
| Webster Groves | $444,500 | $4,816 | 1.08% | 1936 | 1,936 | 5 | 82 | Webster Groves |
| Kirkwood | $566,750 | $4,995 | 0.88% | 1951 | 2,315 | 6 | 80 | Kirkwood R-VII |
| Clayton | $1,240,000 | $11,638 | 0.94% | 1936 | 3,636 | 6 | 28 | Clayton |
| Ladue | $1,430,000 | $13,692 | 0.96% | 1955 | — | — | 27 | Ladue |
Medians from 2026 single-family MLS sales inside each city; Brentwood is the Brentwood School District. A dash means the figure wasn’t available for that city.
Check the map
What is Mid-County St. Louis?
“Everyone keeps saying ‘mid-county.’ Where is that?”
Mid-County is the ring of older suburbs just west of the City: Maplewood, Richmond Heights, Brentwood, University City, Clayton, Ladue, Webster Groves and Kirkwood. Each is its own city with its own rules, and in most of them the school district follows the city: every 2026 sale inside Kirkwood, Webster Groves, University City and Maplewood was in that city’s own district.
It sits between the City and West County, close to Clayton’s business district, Washington University and the hospitals on Kingshighway and in Creve Coeur. That location, and houses built mostly between the 1920s and the 1950s, is what it’s known for.
- Maplewood
- Richmond Heights
- Brentwood
- University City
- Webster Groves
- Kirkwood
- Clayton
- Ladue
- Why each of these towns has its own rulesThey’re all separate cities inside St. Louis County. This explains what that changes for a buyer, from tax bills to the inspection before a sale.
- How Mid-County compares with the rest of the regionWhere Mid-County fits next to South County, West County and the City, and who each one tends to fit.
Check the price
What does a house cost in Mid-County?
“Is it all Clayton prices, or is there room in our budget?”
It ranges more than four times over. In 2026 sales inside each city, the median ran from $295,000 in Maplewood to $566,750 in Kirkwood, $1,240,000 in Clayton and $1,430,000 in Ladue. University City ($439,200) and Webster Groves ($444,500) sat in the middle.
Size explains part of it: the median Maplewood house was about 1,344 square feet, Kirkwood’s about 2,315 and Clayton’s about 3,636. Compare price per square foot and condition, not just the town name.
- What $300K, $450K and $600K buy, by ZIPWhat each budget gets you, move-in ready or as-is, across the region, so you can see where Mid-County fits your number.
- Kirkwood vs. Webster GrovesThe two most-compared Mid-County towns side by side: prices, house size, age, taxes and how fast homes sell.
- Clayton vs. Ladue under $1 millionWhat a buyer can actually find under $1 million in the two priciest Mid-County towns.
Check the house
How old are Mid-County houses?
“We love the character. What comes with a 1930s house?”
Old, by any standard. The median house sold in 2026 was built in 1929 in Maplewood, 1935 in University City, 1936 in Webster Groves and Clayton, 1940 in the Brentwood district, 1951 in Kirkwood and 1955 in Ladue. That’s the charm: brick, stucco, plaster and mature trees.
It’s also the budget. Houses this age carry original sewer laterals, older electrical, foundations and water issues that newer suburbs don’t have. I recommend a sewer scope on every St. Louis home, at $150 to $300, before you’re past your inspection deadline.
- Sewer lateral
- Basement water
- Foundation
- Electrical panel
- Furnace and roof age
- What to look for in an older St. Louis houseThe walk-through checklist I use on houses this age, and what each problem can cost.
- When the repairs on an older Maplewood house failedA 2024 Maplewood sale where agreed repairs didn’t pass the final walk-through, and what it cost the seller.
Check the tax bill
How much are property taxes in Mid-County?
“What will we actually pay each year?”
On 2026 sales inside each city, the median yearly bill ran from $3,716 in Maplewood and $4,130 in the Brentwood district to $4,995 in Kirkwood, $11,638 in Clayton and $13,692 in Ladue. As a share of the price, that was roughly 0.9% to 1.3%.
The higher-priced towns pay more dollars but a smaller share: Kirkwood’s median bill was about 0.88% of its median price, Maplewood’s about 1.26%. Use the listing’s tax figure to compare, then confirm the exact address with the St. Louis County Collector of Revenue.
- 2026 tax bills by school districtThe median bill in every St. Louis County district, from recorded sales, so you can compare Mid-County with the rest of the county.
Check the market
How fast do Mid-County houses sell?
“Do we have time to think about it?”
Usually not long. The median 2026 sale spent 5 days on market in Maplewood and Webster Groves and 6 days in Kirkwood and Clayton. University City ran slower, at 20 days.
At those speeds, have your lender letter ready before you tour, know the comparable sales, and decide your offer the same day you see a house you want.
- How much to offerHow I set an offer from the comps, and how days on market changes your leverage.
- What wins when there are multiple offersPrice, terms and timing, from the seller’s side of the table.
Check the rules
What do Mid-County cities require when a house sells?
“Is there a city inspection before we close?”
It depends on the city, so check each one. Webster Groves requires a passed occupancy inspection before it issues an occupancy permit: $75 for the inspection and $30 for the permit. Other Mid-County cities set their own rules, so ask the city for the exact address before you list or buy.
The city’s inspection isn’t your home inspection; it checks the city’s list, not everything that matters to you.
- Occupancy permits by cityWhich St. Louis-area cities require an inspection when a house sells, what it costs and who orders it.
- Webster Groves occupancy rulesThe full process in Webster Groves, from the inspection to the certificate.
Check the commute
Who lives in Mid-County for the commute?
“We’ll both be working near Clayton or the hospitals.”
People working in Clayton, at Washington University or at the hospitals often start here. For BJC and WashU Medicine, nearby areas include University City, Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Clayton and Ladue; for Mercy in Creve Coeur, Kirkwood, Ladue and the West County suburbs.
The trade-off is price for location: a shorter commute here usually means an older, smaller house than the same money buys farther out.
- Buying near the St. Louis hospitalsWhich areas sit near BJC, SLU, Mercy, Missouri Baptist and St. Luke’s, and what they cost in 2026.
- Working at BJCBarnes-Jewish and Children’s are a short trip from Mid-County. This page covers every BJC hospital, what the homes around each one sold for in 2026 and riding MetroLink to the medical campus.
- Moving to St. LouisIf you’re new to the area, start with how the region works before you pick a town.
Mid-County town guides
Each guide has the 2026 sales, what a bigger budget buys, the school district, the housing stock and the rules for that city.
- KirkwoodThe biggest houses of the mid-priced towns, with a 1951 median build year and a median sale of $566,750.
- Webster Groves1930s stucco and frame houses under a mature canopy; a $444,500 median and its own occupancy inspection at every sale.
- University CityNear Washington University and the Delmar Loop; a $439,200 median and the slowest sales in Mid-County at 20 days.
- ClaytonThe county seat and business district, with large older homes and a $1,240,000 median.
- MaplewoodThe most affordable Mid-County town in 2026, with a $295,000 median and the oldest houses, built around 1929.
- Brentwood School DistrictSmall 1940s houses, about 1,204 square feet on median, and a $401,000 median sale.
- Ladue, Frontenac and Town and CountryThe highest-priced corner of the county compared: Ladue’s 2026 median was $1,430,000.
In Mid-County, the town sets the price range. The house’s age sets the budget.