Sainte Genevieve County

Sainte Genevieve County scores 70 overall and lands in the 81st national percentile across 1,000 counties, which positions it as an above-average market by composite measure. The appreciation score of 83 is the number that drives that ranking: median home prices sit at $264,375 and grew 8.86% year-over-year, a pace that meaningfully outstrips inflation and reflects genuine demand pressure in a county of under 19,000 people. The cash flow score, however, is 0, and the cap rate and cash-on-cash return fields are both zeroed out in the data, which signals that rent levels relative to purchase prices do not pencil for a traditional income-first underwrite at current values. This is a price-appreciation market, not a yield market, and investors need to enter with that orientation clearly in mind.

That profile defines who belongs here and who does not. An appreciation-focused buyer, particularly one willing to hold five-plus years, fits Sainte Genevieve. The 8.86% YoY price gain is not a rounding error in a county this small; it suggests constrained supply and a buyer pool willing to pay up. An affordability index of 73 means the market remains accessible relative to income, which supports continued end-user demand and limits the ceiling risk you see in overheated metros. A pure cash-flow buyer looking to cover debt service from day one should not be here, at least not at the median price point: the numbers simply do not close at $264,375 with a 6.85% rate. A value-add operator could potentially find a path if acquisition is well below median, but nothing in the data indicates a distressed-price environment that would create that entry point systematically.

The county's economic context is not detailed in the available data, so no specific employer anchors or economy notes can be cited. What the population figure does tell you is that this is a small, rural-adjacent market. A population of 18,494 means the renter pool is limited in absolute size, and demand for any single rental unit depends heavily on local employment conditions that are not quantified here. Proximity to the St. Louis metro, which sits among the neighboring counties, likely functions as a partial economic backstop, giving some residents commuting access to a much larger labor market, but that connection should be stress-tested in your own due diligence rather than assumed from this data alone.

On carry costs, the combined monthly tax and insurance estimate runs $311 per month, using a 0.97% state-average effective property tax rate and a 0.44% insurance rate. The tax flag is "normal," meaning Missouri's rate does not create the drag you see in high-tax states, and it is neither a tailwind nor a headwind worth underwriting around in isolation. That said, remember this is a state-average estimate per Tax Foundation 2024 data; actual Sainte Genevieve County township rates may differ, and you should pull the county assessor's figures for any specific parcel before finalizing your numbers. At $311 per month baked into carry costs, this line item is meaningful but not punishing, and in a cash-flow-positive scenario would be manageable. In Sainte Genevieve's current yield environment, it is one more drag on a cash flow picture that is already thin.

The most significant risk here is market size. A county with fewer than 19,000 residents has a narrow renter pool, and any softening in local employment or outmigration would show up quickly in vacancy and rent pressure. There is no vacancy data provided to quantify this directly, but the structural exposure to a single-industry slowdown or demographic shift is real and should not be underestimated. Concentration risk matters more in small markets than in large ones, and Sainte Genevieve is small.

Compared to its neighbors, Sainte Genevieve's $264,375 median sits at the higher end of the peer group, above Maries County ($233,679), Butler County ($160,556), Saint Louis City ($175,441), and Buchanan County ($182,875), and roughly in line with Clinton County ($275,256). Among the neighbors with rent data, Saint Louis City stands out with a rent-to-price ratio of 0.0879, more than double what Sainte Genevieve's zero-rated cash flow implies, and Butler County runs 0.0673. Both Saint Louis City and Butler County score 70 overall, the same as Sainte Genevieve, but with meaningfully better yield mechanics. If cash flow is your primary objective, Butler County's $160,556 median with a $900 median rent, or Saint Louis City's $175,441 median with a $1,284 median rent, offer stronger income geometry at a lower entry cost. You choose Sainte Genevieve over those alternatives specifically when you are betting on continued appreciation in a smaller, supply-constrained market and you do not need the asset to carry itself from rent alone.