City · Franklin County, Missouri

Washington, Missouri

Washington is a city in Franklin County, Missouri, part of the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area. It has 15,130 residents. Washington, Missouri has a quality-of-life score of 65 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,497 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Missouri it ranks #86 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on loneliness (low), new homes permitted (high) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on injury deaths (high), voter turnout (low) and distance to an emergency room (high).

65High

Quality-of-life score: #5,497 of 15,651 cities and towns
Missouri: #86 of 375 in MO
Population: 15,130 (2020-2024)
Land area: 10 mi²
Density: 1,498.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 2977416

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety35#10,196/15,637
Economy59#6,342/15,631
Housing88#1,869/14,977
Health30#10,875/15,609
Healthcare41#9,230/15,650
Environment45#8,524/15,453
Education87#2,021/15,649
Infrastructure73#4,223/15,650
Community71#4,575/15,651
Leisure & amenities57#6,710/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Washington, Missouri ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Franklin County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Loneliness · low29.6%
92/100Missouri 32.5%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
New homes permitted · high13.2 /1k
92/100Missouri 3.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Social associations · high14.4 /10k
89/100Missouri 11.5 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
High school diploma or higher · high94.9%
84/100Missouri 91.8%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Pharmacies · high2.2 /10k
82/100Missouri 2.1 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFranklin County value
Average commute time · low21.1 min
80/100Missouri 23.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Injury deaths · high139 /100k
6/100Missouri 106 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Voter turnout · low56.2%
13/100Missouri 66.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionFranklin County value
Distance to an emergency room · high8.8 mi
21/100Missouri 6.6 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFranklin County value
Depression · high26.9%
22/100Missouri 25.1%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Average weekly wage · low$1,031
23/100Missouri $1,278United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFranklin County value
Suicide rate · high19.7 /100k
24/100Missouri 19.1 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataFranklin County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
14,014 (2015-2019) → 15,130 (2020-2024)
+8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
6.6 /1k (2021) → 13.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+99%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
28.0% (2015-2019) → 47.8% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
83.7% (2015-2019) → 92.1% (2020-2024)
+8.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
26.2% (2015-2019) → 32.3% (2020-2024)
+6.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$60,882 (2015-2019) → $79,173 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Washington, Missouri improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Bachelor's++6.1 points26.2% → 32.3%
Household income+30%$60,882 → $79,173
Broadband+8.4 points83.7% → 92.1%

Declined1

Rent burden+20 points28.0% → 47.8%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Washington, Missouri between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.6 min2015-2019	21.1 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	53%
Bachelor's degree or higher	26.2%2015-2019	32.3%2020-2024	+6.1 points	Improved	75%
Broadband subscriptions	83.7%2015-2019	92.1%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Improved	52%
Child poverty rate	14.7%2015-2019	8.7%2020-2024	−6 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Effective property tax rate	0.87%2015-2019	0.76%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
High school diploma or higher	90.7%2015-2019	94.9%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	67%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3932015-2019	0.4432020-2024	+0.050	Within the margin of error	16%
Median household income	$60,8822015-2019	$79,1732020-2024	+30%	Improved	55%
Poverty rate	7.8%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Rent as share of income	22.8%2015-2019	28.4%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Rent-burdened households	28.0%2015-2019	47.8%2020-2024	+20 points	Declined	9%
Unemployment rate	3.0%2015-2019	3.8%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.5%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Washington, Missouri five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Washington, Missouri in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Washington, Missouri itself moved −7.2 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

15,130 residents (±26)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

6,702 households (±375)

Washington, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $25k16%1,067
$25k–50k17%1,156
$50k–75k15%1,036

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

6,702 households (±375)

Washington, Missouri
Missouri share

Own74%4,957
Rent26%1,745

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

7,433 workers (±476)

Washington, Missouri
Missouri share

Drive alone79%5,842
Carpool5.4%†403
Public transit0.5%†

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the St. Louis, MO-IL

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Franklin County, the county holding most of Washington's residents.

Franklin County has 2,702 employer establishments, 254 for every 10,000 residents (1.02× the US rate of 248; 1.04× Missouri's), with 35,466 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,362. The Census Bureau also counts 8,019 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,702; 8,019 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 254; US 248 · Missouri 244
Paid employees: 35,466
Average annual pay: $49,362; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Franklin County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	262	24.6	1.59×More than typical	2,604	$61,603	691
Ambulatory health care services	190	17.9	0.86×About typical	1,203	$89,379	226
Restaurants and other eating places	166	15.6	0.85×About typical	3,364	$20,057	21
Construction of buildings	135	12.7	1.68×More than typical	517	$54,870	378
Religious organizations	102	9.6	1.73×More than typical	668	$20,978	—
Building equipment contractors	86	8.1	1.34×More than typical	539	$71,035	93
Automotive repair and maintenance	85	8	1.59×More than typical	400	$47,350	122
Services to buildings and dwellings	85	8	1.18×About typical	532	$42,380	596
Lessors of real estate	77	7.2	0.59×Fewer than typical	150	$44,687	1,108
Limited-service restaurants	77	7.2	0.90×About typical	1,675	$19,270	8
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	71	6.7	2.12×More than typical	677	$57,762	115
Full-service restaurants	71	6.7	0.87×About typical	1,462	$21,370	9

Rank places for an industry Open Franklin County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 106,440 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $17.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Washington, Missouri: $1.14 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $17.2K; −96% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.14; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$36.8K100%

Top recipients

RICHARD J. MERTENS, INC$36.5K100%
SHIELD SERVICES LLC$3452.0%
BEACON ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, INC.$00.0%
W A ELLIS CONSTRUCTION CO.$00.0%
TETRA TECH, INC.-$19.6K0.0%

Spending by fiscal year

3.1KFY2017
57.4KFY2018
50.1KFY2019
3.8KFY2020
21.4KFY2021
145.7KFY2022
43.5KFY2023
67.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying · 2123$36.5K100%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$3452.0%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Washington, Missouri, so they do not add up across cities.

Washington, Missouri's figures are part of those of Franklin County, MO ($209.1K in FY2026), never added to them: 8.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Washington is mostly in Franklin County.

See federal money in Franklin County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Washington, Missouri is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ann WagnerR-MO-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 2.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Franklin County67100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

St. Louis, MO-IL72

Other cities and towns in Franklin County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2977416

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends