St. Louis Content Marketing as the Headcount Falls
St. Louis's population is down 6.6% since the 2020 Census, so its customers are mostly the neighbors who stayed. That is the backdrop for content marketing in St. Louis: blog posts that answer what buyers ask, service pages that explain what you offer and a page for every place on your list, written in plain language. Public Census figures below show how much there is to write about here and who would be reading.
How the score breaks down
What Drives the 32.5 Score in St. Louis
Local Content Opportunity Index
32.5/ 100
Ranks 1,431 of 1,822 counties above 20,000 residents, 398 of the 400 markets here. Higher means more to write about and more careful readers. How it is scored
LCOI, our content index, rates each county on a 0 to 100 scale for how much there is to write about and how many buyers read before making contact. The seven research-heavy categories, the number of towns, business growth, income and permits all feed it. St. Louis scores 32.5, below the middle of the pack.
What shapes the result most is a population change of -6.6% since 2020, followed by 9.7 home permits per 10,000 residents. Each tile that follows compares one figure with all ranked counties. This is where we begin on content marketing services for St. Louis businesses.
- Median household income (2023 est.) $55,231 Below 81% of counties
- Headcount movement since 2020 -6.6% Behind 99% of counties
- Homes permitted in 2025 per 10,000 residents 9.7 Behind 82% of counties
- Research-heavy locations per 10,000 residents 27.4 Above 75% of counties
- Change in research-heavy locations, 2017 to 2022 +0.3% About average among counties
- Small-team share of research-heavy trades 62.7% Lower than 62% of counties
- Net new employer locations, 2017 to 2022 -41 Below 73% of counties
A percentile is the share of the 1,822 ranked counties with a lower figure. Inputs: population estimates from the Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (2017, 2022), SAIPE income, Building Permits Survey.
Reading the data
A Writing Plan Built Around St. Louis's Numbers
St. Louis has lost 6.6% of its residents since the 2020 Census, lower than in 99% of counties. With fewer households arriving, content earns its keep by being the most useful answer for the neighbors who stay, and by keeping a familiar name in front of them.
Beyond that, two details matter. Building is slow, 9.7 permits per 10,000 residents, behind 82% of counties. Median household income is $55,231, lower than in 81% of counties. The first pieces should answer what long-time residents ask when something changes.
St. Louis has 281,754 residents, 252nd among 3,143 counties and county equivalents. 9,176 employer locations, 325.7 for every 1,000 people, supply 195,813 jobs, and household income at the median is $55,231.
The field
How Many Businesses Share the Careful Readers in St. Louis
The seven categories hold 772 locations ranked by density next to the median county. The last column counts teams with fewer than five staff, the shops most stretched for time.
Bars show locations per 10,000 residents relative to the median county, with the tick at 1.0x. Source: County Business Patterns, 2017 to 2022, a count of businesses, nothing more. Method
Law offices lead the table: 247 locations, 3.0x the median county, down 15.7% since 2017. Their customers go looking for how long a typical matter takes, how fees are as a rule structured and what a first consultation involves. Next in density: physicians offices at 1.5x.
The fastest growth is in residential remodelers, up 42.1% since 2017 to 81 locations, so new names keep appearing there. Only law offices and insurance agencies shrank. Real estate agents and brokers have the most one-room operations, 82 of 95. In all seven categories together, 62.7% of locations have fewer than five employees.
Markets like this one
Counties That Look Like St. Louis to a Content Writer
The six counties most like St. Louis among our 400 markets, measured the same way. Useful context for content marketing in St. Louis.
| Similar county | LCOI | Headcount | Sizeable places | Typical household income | New business locations since 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO (this market) | 32.5 | 281,754 | 1 | $55,231 | -41 |
| Norfolk, VA | 37.7 | 230,930 | 1 | $61,098 | +23 |
| Richmond County, GA | 37.1 | 205,414 | 2 | $52,073 | -18 |
| Muscogee County, GA | 33.6 | 201,877 | 1 | $52,492 | +191 |
| Saginaw County, MI | 36.4 | 187,782 | 2 | $59,188 | -106 |
| Shawnee County, KS | 42.6 | 177,746 | 1 | $63,612 | -39 |
| Newport News, VA | 41.6 | 183,118 | 1 | $63,911 | +9 |
Chosen out of our 400 markets by closeness on six traits: size, income, score, towns, growth and research density. Sources as above.
The closest match is Norfolk, VA, scoring 37.7 against 32.5 for St. Louis. Newport News, VA is the least alike of the six at 41.6. A look-alike is a reference, not a promise.
Housing demand
Home Permits in St. Louis Are Down From a 2022 Peak of 1,176
Each bar is housing units approved by permit that year. Source: Census Building Permits Survey, plus matching January-to-August totals. Permits show plans, not completed homes.
Permits fell from 1,176 units in 2022 to 272 in 2025, about 77% lower. Through the first eight months of 2026, 219 units were approved against 191 a year earlier, up 14.7%.
Real estate agents and brokers, at 1.4x the typical county, are the housing-linked trade with the most locations per resident. New residents are working out what each neighborhood is like, how the closing steps run and how to read a market report.
Check it against your business
Is It Worth the Fee? Content Marketing Services for St. Louis Businesses
A plan's fee is easy to see; what it has to earn is the question. Enter what one St. Louis customer is worth to you, your margin and how many leads buy.
Asked about this market
St. Louis Content Strategy: Questions Answered
How much does a content marketing agency in St. Louis cost?
Content comes inside the Organic Growth plans: Silver is $1,495 a month for 4 Strategic Content Assets, Gold is $2,495 for 8 and Platinum is $3,495 for 12. No plan has a setup fee, and none locks you in. With 772 research-heavy locations in St. Louis, the calculator above is where to test whether a plan's fee makes sense for you.
What should I send before writing starts in St. Louis?
What you know: your services, your customers and the questions they ask. We write from that and review every piece for accuracy and quality before publishing. It also helps to know which parts of St. Louis you serve.
How does a $55,231 median income shape the writing?
It can. The median household earns $55,231, below 81% of counties, and cost is front of mind, so plain explanations of price, timing and value matter most.
How should content be organized for a place like St. Louis?
St. Louis is one city of 281,754 residents, so the structure runs services first and neighborhoods second: one page per service you sell, then the districts customers mention. 772 research-heavy locations share those readers, so local detail matters more than volume.
Which kind of business has the most rivals in St. Louis?
Law offices, with 247 locations at 3.0x the typical county's density, down 15.7% since 2017. Physicians offices are next at 1.5x. The questions buyers bring to law offices tend to be which kinds of matters a firm handles, what a retainer covers and what documents to bring; plain answers to those are the natural first topics for blog and website content in St. Louis.
How much of the writing should be for newcomers to St. Louis?
St. Louis permitted 9.7 homes per 10,000 residents in 2025, below 82% of counties, and the population has changed -6.6% since 2020. Fewer new households means most readers already live here, so newcomer guides can be a small part of the plan.
How does St. Louis compare with Norfolk, VA?
On the index Norfolk, VA scores 37.7 against 32.5 for St. Louis; incomes are $61,098 there and $55,231 here, and it has 1 towns of 2,500 or more to 1 here. A similar profile suggests a similar kind of plan, not comparable results.
What does a year of Strategic Content Assets add up to in St. Louis?
Twelve months bring 48 assets on Silver, 96 on Gold and 144 on Platinum, written one at a time. With 1 place above 2,500 residents, the topics are services and neighborhoods more than towns.
Does a score of 32.5 mean results for a St. Louis business?
No. 32.5 places St. Louis below the middle of the pack, a figure that describes the material available and the care buyers take. A plan commits you to monthly volume, month to month, and there is no setup fee or contract.
Fees
Paying for Local Content for St. Louis Businesses
Written content is part of the Organic Growth plans, and the plans scale the monthly volume. There is no setup fee and no contract. Ask our CEO which level makes sense.
Around St. Louis
Next Door to St. Louis
Markets within reach of St. Louis, listed with their scores.
- St. Louis County, MO (11 miles away; 987,059 people; LCOI 71.7)
- St. Clair County, IL: 251,018 residents, 21 miles out, LCOI 52.3
- Madison County, IL, 23 miles from St. Louis, 262,752 residents, scoring 60.6
- Monroe County, IL, 25 miles from St. Louis, 34,957 residents, scoring 69.3
Plan Your Content
Plan Your St. Louis Content Marketing With Our CEO
Tell us what you do and which parts of St. Louis you cover, and we will map a content plan to it. Reach us at 610-825-4363 or hello@getphound.com to set up a session with our CEO.