You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Missouri. Best suburbs in Missouri. Best counties in Missouri.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Show Me State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Missouri based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Missouri ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
$206,979 median income · 1.8% unemployment
$153,947 median income · 2.2% unemployment
$152,500 median income · 1.4% unemployment
$95,372 median income · 2.6% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$171,250 median income · 1.9% unemployment
$247,000 median income · 2.9% unemployment
$114,861 median income · 5.4% unemployment
$128,702 median income · 4.7% unemployment
$233,425 median income · 4.4% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$121,222 median income · 0.7% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Missouri’s statewide median.
Missouri statewide median: $70,702
Missouri statewide median: $263,040
Missouri statewide median: 4.0%
On the map
Where Missouri’s best small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Missouri
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Missouri possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 223 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 223, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Missouri. Top of that list — Warson Woods.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Missouri.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In Missouri
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warson Woods | 2,393 | $206,979 | $673,848 | 1.8% |
| 2 | Grantwood Village | 1,058 | $153,947 | $585,039 | 2.2% |
| 3 | Weatherby Lake | 2,401 | $152,500 | $585,269 | 1.4% |
| 4 | Rock Hill | 4,693 | $95,372 | $302,430 | 2.6% |
| 5 | Fremont Hills | 1,574 | $171,250 | $538,149 | 1.9% |
| 6 | Clarkson Valley | 2,584 | $247,000 | $913,371 | 2.9% |
| 7 | Oakland | 1,562 | $114,861 | $462,432 | 5.4% |
| 8 | Lake Waukomis | 1,170 | $128,702 | $430,408 | 4.7% |
| 9 | Frontenac | 3,701 | $233,425 | $1,251,598 | 4.4% |
| 10 | Wardsville | 1,579 | $121,222 | $355,180 | 0.7% |
| 11 | Green Park | 2,690 | $79,141 | $256,231 | 1.5% |
| 12 | Lake Winnebago | 1,773 | $178,565 | $837,783 | 0.0% |
| 13 | Palmyra | 3,623 | $69,922 | $239,486 | 3.2% |
| 14 | Ashland | 4,914 | $93,143 | $362,929 | 1.8% |
| 15 | Pleasant Valley | 2,736 | $75,682 | $257,452 | 1.9% |
| 16 | St. Martins | 1,228 | $89,250 | $302,540 | 2.1% |
| 17 | Platte City | 4,824 | $71,498 | $396,583 | 2.9% |
| 18 | Oronogo | 2,804 | $91,563 | $243,907 | 1.0% |
| 19 | Marthasville | 2,328 | $112,083 | $344,544 | 1.1% |
| 20 | Holts Summit | 4,609 | $85,064 | $279,984 | 1.2% |
| 21 | Lakeshire | 1,396 | $62,115 | $311,393 | 1.5% |
| 22 | Taos | 1,242 | $98,854 | $283,566 | 2.1% |
| 23 | St. Paul | 3,456 | $159,022 | $500,931 | 0.5% |
| 24 | Gower | 1,799 | $83,750 | $318,454 | 2.1% |
| 25 | Winchester | 1,939 | $87,917 | $241,980 | 2.3% |
| 26 | Hallsville | 1,927 | $71,000 | $363,799 | 3.4% |
| 27 | Sturgeon | 1,035 | $76,250 | $344,776 | 1.3% |
| 28 | Pasadena Hills | 1,190 | $70,341 | $266,804 | 10.8% |
| 29 | Marlborough | 2,157 | $50,300 | $236,123 | 0.7% |
| 30 | Bel-Nor | 1,556 | $110,667 | $214,242 | 8.0% |
| 31 | Archie | 1,322 | $68,750 | $307,302 | 1.0% |
| 32 | Whiteman AFB | 3,517 | $54,641 | $375,544 | 3.6% |
| 33 | Country Club | 2,935 | $81,042 | $310,258 | 3.2% |
| 34 | LaBarque Creek | 1,457 | $133,083 | $520,370 | 1.7% |
| 35 | Centralia | 4,690 | $66,438 | $275,705 | 7.0% |
| 36 | High Ridge | 3,714 | $70,917 | $274,696 | 0.0% |
| 37 | Lake Lotawana | 2,442 | $165,962 | $595,199 | 4.4% |
| 38 | Concordia | 2,332 | $59,068 | $197,634 | 1.0% |
| 39 | Higginsville | 4,781 | $81,033 | $224,365 | 4.4% |
| 40 | Weston | 1,922 | $88,750 | $374,429 | 2.2% |
| 41 | Clever | 3,030 | $78,366 | $267,940 | 2.1% |
| 42 | Fenton | 4,088 | $101,000 | $350,648 | 8.1% |
| 43 | New Haven | 3,302 | $71,306 | $251,188 | 4.7% |
| 44 | Mound City | 1,066 | $62,468 | $167,099 | 0.8% |
| 45 | Loma Linda | 1,239 | $92,292 | $314,895 | 4.4% |
| 46 | Hamilton | 1,755 | $65,213 | $231,820 | 2.8% |
| 47 | Lone Jack | 1,412 | $121,389 | $438,207 | 5.1% |
| 48 | Fayette | 2,801 | $57,679 | $231,579 | 2.5% |
| 49 | Rogersville | 4,908 | $70,485 | $325,958 | 2.6% |
| 50 | Lawson | 2,905 | $65,941 | $304,234 | 2.6% |
| 51 | Paris | 1,587 | $63,487 | $200,144 | 3.8% |
| 52 | Foristell | 1,096 | $116,581 | $436,094 | 4.2% |
| 53 | Unionville | 1,824 | $61,406 | $181,687 | 2.7% |
| 54 | Winfield | 1,745 | $75,766 | $280,050 | 2.0% |
| 55 | Glasgow | 1,118 | $50,446 | $208,269 | 3.1% |
| 56 | Duquesne | 2,257 | $54,135 | $246,641 | 1.0% |
| 57 | Knob Noster | 2,838 | $62,353 | $268,190 | 10.0% |
| 58 | North Kansas City | 4,983 | $49,682 | $255,677 | 9.5% |
| 59 | Hermann | 2,290 | $61,979 | $228,824 | 5.2% |
| 60 | Lake Ozark | 2,335 | $74,176 | $324,197 | 4.3% |
| 61 | New London | 1,130 | $63,021 | $265,667 | 1.3% |
| 62 | Sparta | 2,331 | $63,182 | $257,571 | 1.5% |
| 63 | Osage Beach | 4,905 | $55,994 | $323,783 | 2.7% |
| 64 | Cole Camp | 1,436 | $47,083 | $200,527 | 1.5% |
| 65 | Memphis | 1,782 | $55,125 | $116,886 | 0.6% |
| 66 | Buckner | 2,914 | $87,350 | $206,578 | 5.1% |
| 67 | Forsyth | 2,766 | $45,824 | $207,396 | 2.9% |
| 68 | Desloge | 4,863 | $60,820 | $167,325 | 3.5% |
| 69 | Salisbury | 1,540 | $65,329 | $170,769 | 4.5% |
| 70 | Crystal City | 4,718 | $72,598 | $226,470 | 2.2% |
| 71 | Rock Port | 1,221 | $45,815 | $163,760 | 1.0% |
| 72 | Reeds Spring | 1,112 | $56,364 | $283,033 | 0.0% |
| 73 | La Grange | 1,033 | $58,456 | $180,077 | 0.6% |
| 74 | Scott City | 4,371 | $62,599 | $174,431 | 2.0% |
| 75 | Terre du Lac | 2,516 | $86,019 | $227,633 | 4.8% |
| 76 | New Madrid | 2,662 | $57,727 | $103,884 | 0.7% |
| 77 | Linn | 1,197 | $36,176 | $253,786 | 0.2% |
| 78 | Kissee Mills | 1,081 | $67,460 | $214,144 | 0.0% |
| 79 | Monroe City | 3,028 | $55,737 | $195,369 | 0.8% |
| 80 | Milan | 1,859 | $56,063 | $99,809 | 5.8% |
| 81 | Appleton City | 1,221 | $49,036 | $174,867 | 2.4% |
| 82 | Advance | 1,450 | $59,688 | $142,762 | 0.7% |
| 83 | Lincoln | 1,787 | $63,200 | $204,112 | 1.8% |
| 84 | Brookfield | 4,144 | $53,000 | $129,078 | 3.1% |
| 85 | Dellwood | 4,847 | $72,540 | $110,368 | 6.5% |
| 86 | Hillsboro | 3,500 | $77,500 | $317,063 | 4.2% |
| 87 | Princeton | 1,352 | $58,558 | $121,573 | 0.0% |
| 88 | Salem | 4,677 | $43,923 | $187,903 | 3.0% |
| 89 | Gray Summit | 2,991 | $65,667 | $243,516 | 2.2% |
| 90 | Cuba | 3,189 | $45,916 | $227,024 | 0.6% |
| 91 | Fredericktown | 4,507 | $49,375 | $174,417 | 5.9% |
| 92 | Auxvasse | 1,452 | $56,307 | $324,641 | 8.1% |
| 93 | California | 4,509 | $63,864 | $237,739 | 4.5% |
| 94 | Mount Vernon | 4,563 | $53,255 | $229,376 | 2.0% |
| 95 | Hollister | 4,643 | $53,507 | $294,068 | 2.4% |
| 96 | Village of Four Seasons | 2,252 | $89,635 | $359,882 | 9.3% |
| 97 | Fair Grove | 1,717 | $74,514 | $250,540 | 4.9% |
| 98 | Ash Grove | 1,333 | $58,250 | $258,094 | 4.0% |
| 99 | Chaffee | 3,026 | $43,542 | $158,383 | 5.2% |
| 100 | Mountain Grove | 4,491 | $37,415 | $192,079 | 1.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 223 Missouri towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in Missouri are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in Missouri are Warson Woods, Grantwood Village, Weatherby Lake, Rock Hill, Fremont Hills, Clarkson Valley, Oakland, Lake Waukomis, Frontenac, and Wardsville.
