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The property is located in Fenton, Missouri, a municipality of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area. The St. Louis MSA covers 16 counties in Missouri and Illinois and includes 2.8 million people. St. Louis is ranked the 18th largest metropolitan area in the United States. 

The Work Force:
The work force is 1.5 million strong. It has several major virtues:

• It's well-educated. The American Community Survey 2005 found that the percentages of residents with bachelors degrees and masters degrees each surpassed the national averages. The proportion of scientists and engineers is more than twice the U.S. average. The proportion of professional managers is significantly higher too.
• It's highly and broadly skilled. A study by the Census of Manufacturers showed that the productivity level of St. Louis-area manufacturing workers is 18.7 percent higher than the U.S. average. The work force is distributed across industry sectors almost exactly in the same proportions as the nation's work force as a whole, and no one industry employs more than 18 percent of the work force.
• It's hard-working. The Midwestern work ethic is real. Companies in the area apply that dedication and commitment as a competitive advantage every single day.
• It's available and affordable. St. Louis has a growing and affordable work force with wage and unemployment rates that track the U.S. average. A Council on Competitiveness Regional Survey in 2005 found that the availability of workers with the skills that businesses require was considered a strong regional asset.

Business Climate:
Expansion Management magazine named the St. Louis area as a “5-Star Business Opportunity Metro" for 2007, ranking the region in the top 20 percent of the nation's metropolitan areas in legislative influences on the business climate, transportation and logistics infrastructure, quality of life, public education, and other areas important to corporate site selectors.

Economic Overview:
During the first half of 2009, the nation's economy continued to weaken, and non-farm employment in the St. Louis region declined. However, the region's employment losses are slower than the nation's as a whole. In St. Louis, employment was 52,100 lower in June 2009 than one year earlier, representing a 3.8% decline. Nationally employment declined by 4.2%. In St. Louis, the largest June losses were in the manufacturing and mining, and logging and construction sectors (12.3% and 12.1%, respectively). In contrast, the education and health services sector continued to expand, adding 3,500 jobs and posting a 1.7% increase. Government employment added 3,000 jobs for a 1.8% increase.

Information for this page was drawn from the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association

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St. Louis MSA Demographic Profile