What is the median rent in St. Joseph, MO?

Name: Median rent in St. Joseph, MO, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in St. Joseph, MO is $898 (±$31) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 10,086 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In St. Joseph, the median gross rent went from $782 in 2015–2019 to $898 in 2020–2024 (+14.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose more slowly than prices: a measurable decrease after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $898 (±$31)
Rented homes: 10,086 (±597)
$2,000 or more: 1.9%
Since 2015–2019: +14.8%

How much rent costs in St. Joseph

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	St. Joseph	Buchanan County	Missouri	United States
Less than $500	13.6% (±3.1 points)	13.5%	8.3%	6.3%
$500 to $999	52.6% (±4.8 points)	52.3%	38.8%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	29.3% (±3.7 points)	29.8%	34.6%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	2.6% (±1.0 points)	2.5%	12.3%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	1.2% (±1.4 points)	1.1%	3.7%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	0.3% (±0.3 points)	0.3%	1.0%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.4% (±0.2 points)	0.4%	1.2%	6.8%

The most common range is $500 to $999, paid by 52.6% of renting households.

1.9% of rented homes in St. Joseph cost $2,000 or more a month.

St. Joseph against Buchanan County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	St. Joseph	Buchanan County	Missouri	United States
Median gross rent	$898 (±$31)	$902 (±$28)	$1,033 (±$6)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	10,086 (±597)	10,475 (±619)	752,105 (±5,422)	42,849,984

In St. Joseph, median gross rent is not measurably different from Buchanan County ($902).

It is also lower than in Missouri ($1,033).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

In Buchanan County, St. Joseph ranks 3 of 4 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 306 of 889.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in St. Joseph has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$782 (±$17)	$898 (±$31)	+14.8%	Down after inflation
Households that rent	41.2% (±1.9 points)	37.2% (±1.8 points)	−4.0 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate	11.0% (±2.5 points)	6.5% (±1.9 points)	−4.5 percentage points	Measurable decrease

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near St. Joseph

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with St. Joseph
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
St. Joseph	—	$898 (±$31)	—
Elwood	3.9 mi	$839 (±$116)	Not measurably different
Wathena	5.7 mi	$428 (±$375)	Lower
Country Club	6.0 mi	$1,129 (±$56)	Higher
Washington Township (Doniphan County)	6.5 mi	$807 (±$86)	Not measurably different
Agency	8.2 mi	$1,031 (±$455)	Not measurably different
Cosby	10 mi	$778 (±$500)	Not measurably different
Savannah	12 mi	$852 (±$71)	Not measurably different
De Kalb	13 mi	$940 (±$246)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Wathena, KS ($428).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Country Club, MO ($1,129).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Buchanan County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Agency	$1,031 (±$455)
2	De Kalb	$940 (±$246)
3	St. Joseph	$898 (±$31)
4	Rushville	$825 (±$335)

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about St. Joseph

What is the average rent in St. Joseph, MO?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in St. Joseph is $898 (±$31) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in St. Joseph?

In St. Joseph, the median gross rent went from $782 in 2015–2019 to $898 in 2020–2024 (+14.8%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose more slowly than prices: a measurable decrease after inflation.

How many rentals in St. Joseph cost more than $2,000 a month?

1.9% of rented homes in St. Joseph have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 13.6% cost less than $500.

Is rent in St. Joseph higher than in Buchanan County?

In St. Joseph, median gross rent is not measurably different from Buchanan County ($902).

It is also lower than in Missouri ($1,033).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for St. Joseph city, Missouri (place:64550, in state:29).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.