Festus is a city situated in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States, and is also a suburb of St. Louis. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,706.
Geography
thumb|right|Festus Balloon Festival (2011)
Festus is situated just west of the Mississippi River. The city is served by I-55 and US routes 61 and 67.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
History
Festus originated as an outgrowth of older neighbor Crystal City. It was established in 1878 by an individual named W. J. Adams, and was known as "Tanglefoot", supposedly because of situations involving drinkers from the local glass factory, who would drunkenly get their feet tangled in brush on their way home. The city was later called Limitville, but eventually "Festus" was chosen, purported to be in honor of St. Louis banker Festus J. Wade. Others claim the town's name was picked at random by a preacher who sat there, opened the Bible, and pointed to the name "Festus" in the Book of Acts. The City of Festus was incorporated in 1888 and grew to be one of the largest towns in the county. A post office called Festus has been in operation since 1883.
One of the founders of Festus was John Brierton, the great-granduncle of John Bruton, the Taoiseach (head of government) of the Republic of Ireland, who visited the city of Festus and his family's grave in De Soto, Missouri, in 1995.
On November 24, 2025, the Festus City Council voted unanimously for the city to annex a 240-acre area north of U.S. Route 67 and west of County Road CC. At the time, data center developer CRG was considering building a data center on the annexed land, though this proposal received backlash. The city council approved CRG's data center project on March 30. Only two weeks later, during the municipal elections on April 7, Festus residents voted four city councilors out, and also started a petition to recall the city's mayor.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Festus had a population of 12,706. The median age was 37.4 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.4 males age 18 and over.
There were 5,101 households in Festus, including 3,229 families. Of all households, 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 42.5% were married-couple households, 17.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 11,180 || 88.0%
|-
| Black or African American || 404 || 3.2%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 41 || 0.3%
|-
| Asian || 81 || 0.6%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 6 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 85 || 0.7%
|-
| Two or more races || 909 || 7.2%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 313 || 2.5%
|}
Income and poverty
The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $59,041 (with a margin of error of +/- $5,486) and the median family income was $66,773 (+/- $11,558). Males had a median income of $37,913 (+/- $3,471) versus $30,682 (+/- $4,826) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $33,353 (+/- $5,734). Approximately, 6.0% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under the age of 18 and 5.4% of those ages 65 or over.
2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 11,602 individuals, 4,636 households, and 3,036 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,972 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.5% White, 3.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2%.
Of the 4,636 households 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.7% of households were one person and 12.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.04.
The median age was 34.9 years. 26.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.
2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 9,660 individuals, 1,000 households, and 2,606 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,040 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.66% White, 3.93% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04%.
Education
Festus R-VI School District operates Festus High School.
St. Pius X High School, Our Lady Catholic School (K-8) and Twin City Christian Academy (K-12) are private institutions.
Festus has a lending library, the Festus Public Library.
News and media
- Jefferson County Leader
- KJFF (1400 AM)
Transportation
- 25x20px Interstate 55
- 25x20px U.S. Route 61
- 25x20px U.S. Route 67
- Festus Memorial Airport
In popular culture
Festus is the home of the alt-country band The Bottle Rockets.
The town is mentioned in the 1974 country song "(We're Not) The Jet Set," in which George Jones and Tammy Wynette sing about road tripping around the Midwestern and Southern part of the United States in a Chevrolet while falling in love.
The Drunken Peasants podcast had a running gag in the form of a feud with Brett Keane, a YouTuber and resident of Festus. The feud involved satirizing and mocking Brett Keane, usually by referencing his speech patterns (such as his incessant use of the words "Individual", "Situation", and "Particular" and his frequent misquoting of common phrases), as well as creating many false personas under the guise of residents or passersby of Festus calling into the show through the "Pokémon Hotline" (ostensibly created for viewers to call in with Pokémon Go tips, though in actuality it was merely used as a vessel for call-in gags at the expense of Brett Keane) and recounting fictitious, humorous encounters with Brett, often involving exaggerated claims of heroism, allegations of Zoophilia, and other jokes at his expense.