Counties with the most prewar homes in Missouri
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Counties with the most prewar homes in Missouri
Many people love the idea of owning a vintage home and preserving a piece of history. But what are your actual chances of finding one in today’s market?
Vintage homes date back to the prewar era, meaning they were built before World War II. Houses in this era can come in a variety of architectural styles, which also vary with the age of a city or county, as well as what was in vogue at the time it was built. Prewar home styles include Colonial, Tudor, Georgian, Cape Cod, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Craftsman, and Art Deco.
Depending on where you want to live, it can be difficult to find a prewar home. About 11% of occupied homes in the U.S. were built before 1939. That said, older homes are easier to find on the East Coast, as it was the part of the country that had the first settlers. Many places on the East Coast also have large concentrations of prewar homes because there’s not as much land available for development to build new homes.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t find prewar homes in the rest of the country. In every state, there’s someplace like San Francisco with its colorful Victorian homes, or New Orleans with its mix of European influences.
As part of a national analysis, Rocket Homes examined Census Bureau data to find which county has the most prewar homes in Missouri, calculated by dividing the number of homes built before 1939 by all occupied housing units in that county. For this analysis, “prewar” refers to homes built in 1939 or earlier, based on how the Census Bureau collects data.
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#20. Barton County
– Share of homes built prewar: 20.2%
– Total prewar homes: 912 
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#19. Nodaway County
– Share of homes built prewar: 20.6%
– Total prewar homes: 1,719 
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#18. Gentry County
– Share of homes built prewar: 21.3%
– Total prewar homes: 490 
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#17. Linn County
– Share of homes built prewar: 21.7%
– Total prewar homes: 1,035 
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#16. Vernon County
– Share of homes built prewar: 21.8%
– Total prewar homes: 1,699 
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#15. Marion County
– Share of homes built prewar: 22.4%
– Total prewar homes: 2,560 
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#14. Grundy County
– Share of homes built prewar: 22.4%
– Total prewar homes: 822 
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#13. Shelby County
– Share of homes built prewar: 23.4%
– Total prewar homes: 545 
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#12. Scotland County
– Share of homes built prewar: 23.9%
– Total prewar homes: 392 
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#11. Daviess County
– Share of homes built prewar: 24.1%
– Total prewar homes: 725 
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#10. Schuyler County
– Share of homes built prewar: 24.4%
– Total prewar homes: 306 
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#9. Caldwell County
– Share of homes built prewar: 24.6%
– Total prewar homes: 837 
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#8. Harrison County
– Share of homes built prewar: 25.0%
– Total prewar homes: 772 
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#7. Knox County
– Share of homes built prewar: 25.4%
– Total prewar homes: 304 
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#6. Buchanan County
– Share of homes built prewar: 26.5%
– Total prewar homes: 8,822 
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#5. Clark County
– Share of homes built prewar: 28.2%
– Total prewar homes: 666 
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#4. Atchison County
– Share of homes built prewar: 28.9%
– Total prewar homes: 686 
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#3. Holt County
– Share of homes built prewar: 31.0%
– Total prewar homes: 556 
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#2. Worth County
– Share of homes built prewar: 33.2%
– Total prewar homes: 241 
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#1. St. Louis city
– Share of homes built prewar: 55.7%
– Total prewar homes: 78,585
This story features data reporting and writing by Elena Cox and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
