Wellston, Missouri

City in St. Louis County · population 1,537 (2020 Census)

Household income: $44,957
Jan low / Jul high: 25° / 90°
Snow a year: 17 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 52
Median age: 48.1

Wellston is a city of 1,537 people in St. Louis County, Missouri. It ranks better transit than 100% of Missouri towns, more walkable than 91% of Missouri towns, better for cycling than 78% of Missouri towns.

How Wellston ranks

Percentile among Missouri towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Missouri towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

Median rent is $1,005 a month. 49.3% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Missouri towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Wellston	Typical Missouri town
Median home value	—	$153,900
Median rent	$1,005	$855
Median household income	$44,957	$56,368
Home value ÷ income	—×	2.7×
Homeownership	49.3%	67.4%
Median year built	1955	1972
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Wellston

People	Wellston	Typical Missouri town
Median age	48.1	38.6
Age 65 and over	8.9%	17.7%
Under 18	23.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.5%	18.9%
Below the poverty line	35.4%	14.6%
Veterans	4.4%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.9%	—
Work from home	5.1%	7.9%
Average commute	20.4 min	23.1 min
Homes with broadband	63.4%	88.7%

Weather in Wellston

July highs average 89.6°F and January lows 24.6°F. About 43.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 16.6 inches of snow (typical Missouri town: 11.1 in). Expect about 47 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 79 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the St Louis Sci Ctr station (3.3 mi away); snow from St Louis Lambert Intl Ap (6.9 mi).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

52 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Wellston since 1950, compared with 23 for the typical Missouri town. 19 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF4, struck on April 22, 2011 about 4.7 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 30 deaths and 672 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on June 21, 2026.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 352 times; the largest was 4.50 inches on May 25, 2011.

Severe weather in St. Louis County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, St. Louis County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 59 deaths recorded.

St. Louis County has been included in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, tornado.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
June 9, 2025	Severe Storm	DR-4877: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
May 21, 2025	Severe Storm	DR-4867: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires
August 8, 2022	Flood	DR-4665: Severe Storms And Flooding
March 26, 2020	Biological	DR-4490: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3482: Covid-19

Jobs and pay in St. Louis County

St. Louis County had 596,676 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $75,926 a year. Unemployment was 3% in 2023; in Wellston itself the ACS puts it at 12.1%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Wellston

5 public schools with 1,374 students, about 14.2 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
NORMANDY HIGH	9-12	747	17.8
SOLDAN INTERNATIONAL STUDIES	9-12	395	12.0
HAMILTON ELEM. COMMUNITY ED.	PK-5	222	11.1
MET DAY TREATMENT CENTER	6-12	10	—
REACH ST. LOUIS DAY TREATMENT	6-12	—	—

Towns near Wellston

Hillsdale, MO
0.8 mi · 1,216 people · home $52,700
Pagedale, MO
0.8 mi · 2,554 people · home $75,200
Velda Village Hills, MO
1.2 mi · 881 people · home $51,200
Velda City, MO
1.3 mi · 1,188 people · home $49,500
Greendale, MO
1.6 mi · 642 people · home $115,400
Pine Lawn, MO
1.7 mi · 2,754 people · home $66,800
Hanley Hills, MO
1.8 mi · 2,009 people · home $73,300
Bel-Nor, MO
2.0 mi · 1,399 people · home $218,000

Wellston questions

Is Wellston, Missouri a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Wellston scores better for retirees than 1% of Missouri towns and quieter than 15%. 8.9% of residents are 65 or older (median age 48.1).

What is the weather like in Wellston?

July highs average 89.6°F and January lows 24.6°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 43.9 inches of precipitation a year and 16.6 inches of snow.

Does Wellston get tornadoes?

52 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Wellston since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF4 on April 22, 2011. The typical Missouri town has had 23.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Wellston's Census boundary (GEOID 2978370). Comparisons use the median of Missouri towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.