The large percentage of one-person households in St. Louis and several other Midwest cities suggest that it’s more affordable to live alone in those places

ST. LOUIS — People in St. Louis are more likely to live alone than people in most other U.S. cities, according to Census Bureau data analyzed by home search platform Point2Homes.

St. Louis has the fourth-highest share of one-person households (46.2%) in the country. It is one of 15 metro areas with a share over 40%. The national average is 28%.

Eighty-three of the 200 cities analyzed saw a rise in the share of one-person households between 2008 and 2018. St. Louis’ share went up by 2.5 percentage points.

But living alone isn’t necessarily an indication of loneliness. According to Cigna’s 2020 Loneliness Index, only 53% of St. Louisans are classified as lonely, compared with 61% of people nationally.

The large percentage of one-person households in St. Louis and several other Midwest cities suggest that it’s more affordable to live alone in those places. The share of unrelated people living together grew 14% nationally between 2008 and 2018, suggesting an overall trend toward people seeking roommates due to lack of affordable housing.

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