Welcome to Missouri

Your life in the Show Me State begins

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Missouri Self-StorageReasons to Move to MissouriMoving to MissouriEconomic OutlookPlaces to LiveResources

Welcome to Missouri

There’s a lot to love about Missouri. Although the state is not the location of the geographic center of the lower 48 states — that designation goes to Lebanon, Kansas, about 180 miles west of the state’s border with Kansas — Missouri is a crossroads of our nation. It has a little bit of the south, and a big serving of Midwest charm. The state has some big city features, in Kansas City and St. Louis, vast nature areas, and history at every turn.

Missouri offers a lot of options to its citizens, including one of the lowest costs of living in the country. Missouri is nicknamed the Show-Me-State — because its locals prefer simple common sense over “frothy eloquence.” From the Ozark Mountains to the Mississippi River, Missouri has a lot to show its visitors and residents.

Missouri Self-Storage Facts

Like the rest of the country, Missouri has seen a surge in self-storage development activity in the recent years. After the recession developers could not finance enough projects to keep up with the natural demand for storage created in markets with growing populations. This led availability of storage to decrease and prices to rise. Lately, construction has returned to the industry and lowering prices for consumers. Buoyed by the growth of its urban centers, Missouri has seen a recent rise in the number of self-storage facilities operating in the state.

Check out the facts below to learn more about the size of the Missouri self-storage industry:

Below are some statistics that provide an overview of the self-storage industry in Missouri:

1,142

Missouri is home to about 1,142 self-storage facilities.

30,882,847

Missouri self-storage facilities cover 30,882,847 square feet of storage space.

5.18

Missouri storage facilities offer 5.18 square feet of storage per person, which is close to the national average of 5.4 square feet per person.

Reasons to Move to Missouri

If you're thinking about making the move, but aren't sure if Missouri is the right place for you, consider the following:

1

The Gateway Arch. — more than just a monument. Missouri’s central location where the Midwest and the South converge makes the state a gateway. And, most people will quickly recognize St. Louis’s Gateway Arch as a monument to a national crossroad. The Arch stands 630 feet above the city, and is the tallest man-made monument in the United States.

2

Branson is the ultimate family vacation destination. An Ozark mountain town, turned live entertainment capital of Missouri, and arguably the Midwest, Branson has attractions for the whole family. The historic downtown area is famously lined with music venues, but the area is also home to amusement parks, shopping, and outdoor activities.

3

Lakes and rivers galore. For a landlocked state, Missouri has a lot of water coursing through its cities and towns. The Mississippi River serves as the state’s eastern border, but other major rivers cut across the area, offering fishing, boating, and other water activities.

4

Lake of the Ozarks. One of the most popular recreation spots in Missouri, however, is the Lake of the Ozarks. This man-made lake in central Missouri offers 1,150 miles of shoreline and a big focus on boating. Looking for a huge party scene? Check out Party Cove, which the New York Times has noted as the oldest established permanent floating party in the country.

5

Music is part of Missouri’s history. We know Branson is a music center, but Missouri is also the land of Chuck Berry, one of the architects of rock and roll. Jazz, blues, bluegrass, and ragtime all were partly developed in St. Louis and Kansas City.

6

Missouri nature preserves. Looking for outdoor adventures? The state has numerous well-regarded nature preserves including Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Elephant Rocks State Park, Marvel Cave, Smallin Civil War Cave, and many more.

7

Forest Park. Even the state’s biggest cities have ample outdoor spaces, such as St. Louis’s Forest Park. This urban park contains the St. Louis Zoo and was the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and the 1904 Summer Olympics.

8

Missouri food delights. Missouri also has a unique cuisine that bridges Midwestern and Southern taste buds. St. Louis style pizza has a cracker-thin crust, provel cheese (a buttery processed cheese), and is usually square-cut. Toasted ravioli is also rumored to have its origins in St. Louis.

9

Great Kansas City BBQ. But, one cannot talk about Missouri cuisine without mentioning barbecue. In Kansas City, the best can be found at Joe’s. The most famous dish at this venerable BBQ spot is the Z-Man sandwich, featuring sliced smoked brisket, smoked provolone cheese, onion rings, and Kansas City-style barbecue sauce.

10

Literary history. In many ways, Missouri is a literary hub of the Midwest and the South — at least when it comes to childhood homes of notable authors. Mark Twain’s boyhood home is in Hannibal, and the Mark Twain National Forest occupies 1.5 million acres in the southern part of the state. Missouri is also the hometown of such diverse authors as Kate Chopin, Maya Angelou, and Dale Carnegie.

Moving to Missouri

Missouri has a population of 6.15 million, up from 5.9 million in 2010. The state has a relatively low growth rate of .28%, which is 41st in the country. It is a sparsely populated state, with about 87 people per square mile. A large percentage of the state’s population lives in rural communities, with as many as one-third of the state's residents living in these areas.

Missouri Economic Outlook

Missouri’s gross domestic product at the end of 2018 was $323 billion, which ranks 22nd in the nation. This is up from $316 billion in the prior year. Growth is not the strongest in the Show-Me-State, although the state’s gross domestic product grew 2.3% from 2018 to 2019. While this is positive growth, the state lags behind the national average of 2.9%. Even with less-than-average growth, Missouri has a thriving manufacturing sector, as well as wholesale trade and a growing information services sector.

Historically, Missouri’s location as a crossroads of the nation, and access to the Mississippi River, has helped propel its economy through the nation’s ups and downs since the area became part of the United States after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Today, the state’s economy involves all sorts of industries, from manufacturing and technology to greeting cards and retail. Like many states, healthcare is a key driver of economic activity, with the state’s hospitals and clinics adding $27 billion to the economy. These hospitals also account for 310,000 jobs.

Who are Missouri's Largest Employers?

EMPLOYER
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Viasystems Group, Inc.
15,000
Express Scripts Holding Co.
10,000
Cox Medical Center South
10,000
Ford Motor Company
8,000
Anheuser-Busch Co.
5,000
General Motors
4,000
Bayer Crop Science
4,000
Hallmark Cards
3,700
Freeman Health System
3,500
US Air Force 509th Contracting
3,500

Places to live in Missouri

Missouri is a medium-sized state, with about 69,000 square miles. While there is a lot of economic activity in the major metropolitan areas of the state, there is opportunity throughout Missouri for everything from relaxed living to the hustle and bustle of city life.

Here’s a quick look at the state’s three largest cities:

Kansas City

Yes, it may be confusing, but the largest city in Missouri shares its name with a neighboring state. Kansas City boasts a population of 491,918. The city also borders Kansas City, Kansas, which has a much smaller population of about 145,000. The average salary in the city is $62,000, which is slightly higher than the national average. The cost of living in Kansas City, however, is approximately equal to that of the United States as a whole.The biggest employers in Kansas City include the U.S. Federal Government, Cerner Corporation (health care information services,) University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Hallmark Cards.

Cost of living
Equal to the national cost of living
Median home price
$149,000
Average rent
$1,004/month
Average apartment size
900 square feet

St. Louis

The next largest city in Missouri according to population is St. Louis, with approximately 318,000 residents. This major city embraces its status as gateway to the rest of the United States, no matter what direction you are coming from. Where do all of these residents work? The largest employment areas are in healthcare, but Anheuser Busch, Boeing, and Panera Bread each have many employees in the area.

Cost of living
6% lower than the national average
Median home price
$159,000
Average rent
$957/month
Average apartment size
846 square feet

Springfield

The next largest city in Missouri is Springfield, located in the eastern portion of the state, with 167,000 residents. The average salary in Springfield is lower than most of the state, with an emphasis on skilled nursing and service-industry employment. Big employers in Springfield include Cox Health, Mercy Hospital Springfield, Walmart, Inc., Bass Pro Shops, and O’Reilly Auto Parts. House prices average $147,000, while rents average $799 for an average apartment in the Springfield area.

Cost of living
12% lower than the national average
Median home price
$159,000
Average rent
$799/month

Moving to Missouri Resources

All Missouri Cities

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