With a population of over 2.8 million people, St. Louis is the 18th largest metropolitan area in the US. Due to its central location, the region has become the focus of major transportation networks. St. Louis is the third largest rail center in the nation, the second largest inland port, and has the twenty-first busiest airport. St. Louis is also forging new ground in medical sciences, high technology industries, information technologies and advanced manufacturing. The region is home to 21 Fortune 1000 companies including Emerson Electric, Monsanto, Charter Communications, and Edward Jones.
The St. Louis Commercial Real Estate market encompasses over 50 million square feet of class A & B office space and over 243 million square feet of industrial space. The market has seen several areas of opportunity despite the economic recession. The industrial market has expanded as companies like Express Scripts have selected St. Louis as the hub for their fulfillment operations. The region’s growing health care sector has been a source of strength for the office market, as companies such as Centene Corp. experience continued growth, driving new employment and demand for space in the St Louis market. These areas of growth will sustain the St. Louis market place through this economic downturn and will poise the region for increased growth upon recovery.