St. Joseph County extends into Andrew County in small parts. St. Joseph had a total population of 72,473 as of the 2020 census, making it the eighth largest city in the state and the third largest in Northwest Missouri. St. Joseph is approximately thirty miles north of Kansas City, Missouri, and approximately 125 miles south of Omaha, Nebraska. The city was named after its founder, Joseph Robidoux, as well as the biblical Saint Joseph.

Missouri Western State University is located in St. Joseph. It is the birthplace of Eminem, the 20th-century rapper and songwriter who grew up and made his career in Detroit, Michigan. It was the final resting place of American hero Jesse James in the nineteenth century. It was also the starting point for the Pony Express, which ran from east to west. Saint Joseph has a thriving and diverse economy.

The local area has a sizable food processing industry. Saint Joseph manufactures biofuels, meat and grain processing, candies, and a variety of other well-known North American products. This industry employs a large number of people, as do the suppliers of packaging and food processing equipment.

Saint Joseph is located in the heart of the Kansas City Animal Health Triangle, which stretches from Manhattan, Kansas to Columbia, Missouri. Saint Joseph is home to several Animal Health Pharmaceutical, Animal Nutrition, and related research facilities due to its advantageous location.

In St. Joseph, agricultural products such as herbicides for crop production are manufactured. St. Joseph has a number of retail areas, many of which are concentrated along Belt Highway on the city's east side. East Hills Mall is located at the intersection of North Belt Highway and Frederick Boulevard.

The mall first opened in 1965, was expanded in 1988, and was renovated in 2001, followed by a much larger renovation in 2008 and 2009. The Shoppes at North Village, which opened in 2005, is located along North Belt Highway between Cook and County Line roads. This serves as a regional shopping mall.