Drive down McDonnell Boulevard in Hazelwood today and most of what made this a company town is gone. The runway lights from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport still blink a few minutes north, and the highway grid that once fed a sprawling aerospace plant still carries heavy traffic. What's changed is the plant itself — and, less obviously, what it costs to insure a car here.

Full coverage in Hazelwood runs about $2,046 a year on average, roughly $170 a month. That's about 13.6% above what a typical Missouri driver pays. Liability-only policies average closer to $1,260 a year. Neither number is dramatic on its own, but together they put Hazelwood clearly above the state's overall averages.

A Town Built Around One Factory

The Curtiss-Wright Aeroplane Factory opened in Hazelwood in 1941 and cranked out thousands of aircraft during World War II. McDonnell Aircraft bought the site in 1948 and spent decades building military jets there, eventually growing into McDonnell Douglas and merging into Boeing in 1997. Ford ran a plant nearby too — locals have long said you either worked at Ford or you worked at McDonnell Douglas.

That industrial identity shaped Hazelwood's population and its median household income, which sits around $55,908 today, below both the state and national medians. Lower household income tends to correlate with more price-sensitive insurance shopping, not necessarily higher premiums on its own — but it's part of the backdrop for the numbers below.

What the Rate Data Actually Shows

  • Full coverage: around $2,046 a year, about $170 a month.
  • Liability only: around $1,260 a year.
  • Compared to Missouri overall: roughly 13.6% higher than the statewide average driver pays.
  • By vehicle type: sedans typically run $800-$1,200 a year, SUVs $900-$1,500, and trucks $800-$1,300, before personal rating factors are applied.

Missouri requires 25/50/25 liability — $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage — plus non-waivable 25/50 uninsured motorist coverage on every policy, Hazelwood included.

Why Hazelwood Runs Above the State Average

Crime data is the clearest driver. FBI-sourced figures put Hazelwood's total crime rate at roughly 3,010 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the national average near 2,752, with the city's murder rate running about twice the national figure. Insurers weigh local crime data into both liability and comprehensive pricing, since it correlates with claims frequency for everything from vandalism to collision-related disputes.

Geography adds to it. Hazelwood sits at the junction of I-270 and I-70, wedged against Lambert Airport, with heavy commercial and cargo traffic running through the same corridors residents use every day. More traffic volume, more intersections, and more commercial vehicles sharing the road all show up in claims data the same way they would in any airport-adjacent suburb.

How Hazelwood Stacks Up Against North County

Think of North St. Louis County as a cluster of suburbs that all inherited similar risk factors from the same infrastructure — I-270, Lambert Airport, and a shared industrial past. Hazelwood's $2,046 average tracks close to Florissant's, another North County city with comparable traffic and crime exposure, and both run above what quieter West County suburbs like Chesterfield or Ballwin typically pay.

That regional pattern matters for shopping around: a Hazelwood quote that looks high next to a national average isn't necessarily out of line for the area. Comparing quotes against other North County cities, rather than a statewide or national figure, gives a more honest read on whether you're actually overpaying.

Getting a Fair Rate in Hazelwood

  • Shop at least three carriers: the spread between the cheapest and most expensive quote for the same driver profile can run several hundred dollars a year in Hazelwood.
  • Ask about bundling and safe-driver discounts: they tend to offset local risk pricing more than any single coverage cut.
  • Confirm your uninsured motorist limits: Missouri's 25/50 floor is mandatory and shouldn't be defaulted lower than your liability limits.
  • Don't cut comprehensive coverage to save money: it's the line item most exposed to Hazelwood's above-average crime numbers.

The McDonnell Douglas plant that once defined Hazelwood is mostly history now, but the highways and airport traffic it helped build are still doing their part on every quote. See our minimum vs. full coverage guide for help deciding how much protection makes sense above Missouri's state floor.