Many Saint Louis ZIP Codes Are Hazardous, Home Prices Still Grew

ST. LOUIS, MO — Forty-one St. Louis area zip codes had a high or very high environmental hazard risk index and over the past year, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions. Nonetheless, the median home prices in almost all these zip codes appreciated faster than the U.S. market overall, some by more than 30 percent. The report found that nationally, home prices in zip codes in the highest 20 percent for environmental hazard risk grew faster than the market overall.

St. Louis' 63133 zip code placed in the top 10 for the most environmentally hazardous zip codes in the country, but home prices in that zip code have still appreciated by more than 21 percent over the last year.

Median home prices in zip codes with a very high environmental hazard risk index grew faster than the overall market over the past year (7.4 percent), the past five years (57.1 percent) and the past 10 years (22.2 percent), according to the report. In the market overall, median home prices appreciated 7.1 percent over the past year, 51.1 percent over the past five years and 12.3 percent over the past 10 years.

ATTOM Data analyzed over 8000 zip codes that had sufficient housing trend data for risk related to four environmental hazards: superfund sites, brownfields, polluters and poor air quality. A risk index was calculated for each hazard and a combined index was then calculated based on the four factors.

The highest environmental risk index for a zip code in the country was 497

Bridgeton, Mo., the site of a landfill and superfund site that holds illegally-dumped Cold War-era nuclear waste, scored 184 on the index. In January, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a quarter-billion dollar clean-up plan for the site, but many — including St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger — feel the plan doesn't go nearly far enough. Locals have long complained of the landfill's smell and reported health issues, including cancer, autoimmune disease and miscarriages, but officials have downplayed their concerns.

Homes in zip codes with a very high environmental hazard risk also had the lowest foreclosure rate, with the exception being zip codes that had the highest risk index for superfunds. The foreclosure rate for zip codes in the highest risk category for superfunds was more than 1.5 times that of the overall market rate.

Homes in Bridgeton appreciated at 2 percent above the national rate, but the foreclosure rate for Bridgeton is three to four times higher than surrounding zip codes.

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“With housing inventory in short supply, even homes in higher-risk zip codes for environmental hazards are in high demand from buyers looking for lower-priced properties and investors looking for the next up-and-coming neighborhood,” said Daren Blomquist, senior vice president with ATTOM Data Solutions. “Buyer demand does seem to have a bit of a limit when it comes to environmental hazards, however. Homes in zip codes with superfunds on the EPA’s national priority list have seen weaker home price appreciation and have higher foreclosure rates than the overall housing market.”

In the market overall, a total of 12.6 million single family homes and condos with a combined market value of $3.4 trillion were in zip codes in the top 20 percent for environmental hazard risk. The average market value of homes in these zip codes was $268,585 compared to an average market value of $329,217 in the market overall.

According to ATTOM, the top 10 zip codes for overall environmental hazard housing risk are:

1. Denver (80216)
2. San Bernardino, California (92408)
3. Sheridan, Oregon (97378)
4. Saint Louis (63133)
5. Haw River, North Carolina (27258)
6. Riverside, California (92501)
7. Santa Fe, California (90670)
8. Tulsa, Oklahoma (74108)
9. Tulsa, Oklahoma (74119)
10. Houston (77042)

See the full report from ATTOM here.

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