Now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of Missouri would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.
Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Show Me State?
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to measure how each city in Missouri with populations greater than 5,000 voted in past elections. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Republican were named the most conservative cities in the state.
85.5% Republican vote · #1 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Stoddard County, Missouri
Dexter is a city in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States, founded in 1873. The population was 7,864 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.0% Republican vote · #2 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Laclede County, Missouri
Lebanon is a city in Laclede County, Missouri, United States. The population was 14,474 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Laclede County. The Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Laclede County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
81.4% Republican vote · #3 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Howell County, Missouri
West Plains is a city in Howell County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,986 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Howell County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
81.1% Republican vote · #4 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Perry County, Missouri
Perryville is a city in Perry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,225 at the 2010 census. Perryville is the county seat of Perry County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
80.8% Republican vote · #5 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Grundy County, Missouri
Trenton is a city in Grundy County, Missouri, United States. The population was 6,001 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grundy County. The city claims to be the world’s largest producer of vienna sausages.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
80.6% Republican vote · #6 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Lawrence County, Missouri
Aurora is a city in Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,508 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
80.6% Republican vote · #6 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Lawrence County, Missouri
Monett is a city in Monett Township in Barry County and Pierce Township in Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,873 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
80.5% Republican vote · #8 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Butler County, Missouri
Poplar Bluff is a small city in Butler County in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as “The Gateway to the Ozarks” among other names. The population was 17,023 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
80.1% Republican vote · #9 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Taney County, Missouri
Branson is a city in Stone and Taney counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s. The population was 10,520 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
79.5% Republican vote · #11 most conservative in Missouri
Located in
Franklin County, Missouri
Sullivan is a city that straddles the border of Franklin County and Crawford County in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 7,081 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Missouri’s statewide median.
On the map
Mapping the conservative strongholds in Missouri
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most conservative cities in Missouri for 2026
To find the most conservative places in Missouri, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most conservatives.
We started by making a list of every city in Missouri over 5,000 people based on the 2020-2024 American Community Survey. That left us with 131 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places rock the most rightward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For The Republican President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Republicans, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 131 for each criterion, where number one was the most conservative.
The winner, Dexter, is “The Most Conservative City in Missouri For 2026”. The most liberal place in Missouri was St. Louis.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most conservative places to live in Missouri.
The full plate
Most Conservative Places In Missouri
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Conservative Score | Population | % Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dexter | 1.00 | 7,891 | 85.5% |
| 2 | Lebanon | 2.00 | 15,270 | 82.0% |
| 3 | West Plains | 3.00 | 12,441 | 81.4% |
| 4 | Perryville | 4.00 | 8,536 | 81.1% |
| 5 | Trenton | 5.00 | 5,536 | 80.8% |
| 6 | Aurora | 6.50 | 7,397 | 80.6% |
| 6 | Monett | 6.50 | 9,873 | 80.6% |
| 8 | Poplar Bluff | 8.00 | 16,254 | 80.5% |
| 9 | Branson | 9.00 | 12,817 | 80.1% |
| 10 | Sullivan | 11.00 | 6,310 | 79.5% |
| 11 | Marshfield | 12.00 | 7,696 | 79.2% |
| 12 | Cameron | 13.00 | 8,519 | 79.0% |
| 13 | Bolivar | 14.00 | 11,170 | 78.7% |
| 14 | Kennett | 15.00 | 10,196 | 78.1% |
| 15 | Chillicothe | 17.00 | 8,923 | 77.9% |
| 16 | Nevada | 18.00 | 7,925 | 77.9% |
| 17 | Neosho | 19.50 | 13,224 | 77.9% |
| 17 | Joplin | 19.50 | 52,593 | 77.9% |
| 19 | Sikeston | 21.50 | 16,320 | 77.7% |
| 19 | Cape Girardeau | 21.50 | 40,344 | 77.7% |
| 21 | Hannibal | 23.00 | 16,771 | 77.6% |
| 22 | Macon | 24.00 | 5,466 | 77.5% |
| 23 | Troy | 25.00 | 13,947 | 75.3% |
| 24 | Moberly | 27.00 | 13,526 | 74.6% |
| 26 | Nixa | 29.50 | 24,836 | 74.6% |
| 26 | Republic | 29.50 | 19,829 | 74.6% |
| 26 | Ozark | 29.50 | 22,417 | 74.6% |
| 26 | Springfield | 29.50 | 169,954 | 74.6% |
| 29 | Clinton | 32.00 | 9,065 | 74.4% |
| 30 | Savannah | 33.00 | 5,053 | 74.4% |
| 32 | Bonne Terre | 36.00 | 6,683 | 73.3% |
| 32 | Farmington | 36.00 | 18,282 | 73.3% |
| 32 | Park Hills | 36.00 | 8,678 | 73.3% |
| 34 | Mexico | 38.00 | 11,477 | 72.6% |
| 35 | Sedalia | 39.00 | 22,003 | 72.5% |
| 36 | Boonville | 40.00 | 7,689 | 72.2% |
| 38 | Carthage | 42.50 | 15,574 | 72.1% |
| 38 | Carl Junction | 42.50 | 8,339 | 72.1% |
| 38 | Webb City | 42.50 | 13,221 | 72.1% |
| 40 | Oak Grove | 45.50 | 8,538 | 72.0% |
| 40 | Odessa | 45.50 | 5,620 | 72.0% |
| 42 | Wright City | 47.50 | 5,240 | 72.0% |
| 42 | Warrenton | 47.50 | 9,066 | 72.0% |
| 44 | Caruthersville | 49.00 | 5,326 | 71.8% |
| 45 | Jackson | 50.50 | 15,659 | 71.7% |
| 46 | St. Robert | 52.50 | 5,356 | 71.7% |
| 46 | Waynesville | 52.50 | 5,442 | 71.7% |
| 48 | Richmond | 54.50 | 5,959 | 71.6% |
| 48 | Excelsior Springs | 54.50 | 10,484 | 71.6% |
| 51 | Washington | 58.50 | 15,130 | 70.9% |
| 51 | Pacific | 58.50 | 7,475 | 70.9% |
| 51 | Union | 58.50 | 12,781 | 70.9% |
| 53 | Jefferson City | 61.50 | 42,488 | 70.1% |
| 53 | Fulton | 61.50 | 12,617 | 70.1% |
| 55 | Ste. Genevieve | 63.00 | 5,010 | 69.9% |
| 56 | Maryville | 64.00 | 10,428 | 69.4% |
| 57 | Rolla | 65.00 | 20,287 | 68.9% |
| 58 | Marshall | 66.00 | 13,739 | 67.8% |
| 59 | Warrensburg | 67.00 | 19,582 | 67.0% |
| 62 | Herculaneum | 70.00 | 5,071 | 66.0% |
| 62 | Pevely | 70.00 | 6,055 | 66.0% |
| 62 | Arnold | 70.00 | 20,956 | 66.0% |
| 62 | De Soto | 70.00 | 6,470 | 66.0% |
| 62 | Festus | 70.00 | 13,201 | 66.0% |
| 68 | Pleasant Hill | 77.50 | 8,847 | 64.8% |
| 68 | Raymore | 77.50 | 24,526 | 64.8% |
| 68 | Kansas City | 77.50 | 510,612 | 64.8% |
| 68 | Peculiar | 77.50 | 5,958 | 64.8% |
| 68 | Greenwood | 77.50 | 6,013 | 64.8% |
| 68 | Harrisonville | 77.50 | 9,970 | 64.8% |
| 68 | Lee’s Summit | 77.50 | 103,656 | 64.8% |
| 68 | Belton | 77.50 | 25,008 | 64.8% |
| 73 | Kirksville | 82.00 | 17,563 | 62.0% |
| 74 | St. Joseph | 83.00 | 71,236 | 61.3% |
| 75 | Battlefield | 85.50 | 6,165 | 59.0% |
| 75 | Willard | 85.50 | 6,488 | 59.0% |
| 80 | O’Fallon | 91.50 | 93,801 | 57.8% |
| 80 | Dardenne Prairie | 91.50 | 13,503 | 57.8% |
| 80 | Cottleville | 91.50 | 5,937 | 57.8% |
| 80 | Weldon Spring | 91.50 | 5,310 | 57.8% |
| 80 | St. Charles | 91.50 | 71,508 | 57.8% |
| 80 | St. Peters | 91.50 | 59,092 | 57.8% |
| 80 | Wentzville | 91.50 | 47,061 | 57.8% |
| 80 | Lake St. Louis | 91.50 | 18,066 | 57.8% |
| 87 | Smithville | 99.00 | 10,705 | 51.0% |
| 87 | Liberty | 99.00 | 30,689 | 51.0% |
| 87 | Kearney | 99.00 | 10,885 | 51.0% |
| 87 | Gladstone | 99.00 | 27,207 | 51.0% |
| 87 | Independence | 99.00 | 121,740 | 51.0% |
| 91 | Grandview | 107.50 | 26,527 | 51.0% |
| 91 | Raytown | 107.50 | 29,445 | 51.0% |
| 91 | Blue Springs | 107.50 | 59,965 | 51.0% |
| 91 | Grain Valley | 107.50 | 16,271 | 51.0% |
| 94 | Parkville | 114.00 | 8,366 | 50.5% |
| 95 | Columbia | 116.00 | 128,548 | 42.4% |
| 113 | Ferguson | 134.50 | 18,213 | 37.2% |
| 113 | St. John | 134.50 | 6,527 | 37.2% |
| 113 | Sunset Hills | 134.50 | 9,112 | 37.2% |
| 113 | University City | 134.50 | 34,685 | 37.2% |
| 113 | Manchester | 134.50 | 18,160 | 37.2% |
Source: county-level 2020 election results, U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 131 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in Missouri
Well, there you have it, the places in Missouri that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Dexter ranking as the most conservative in the entire state.
The most conservative cities in Missouri are Dexter, Lebanon, West Plains, Perryville, Trenton, Aurora, Monett, Poplar Bluff, Branson, and Sullivan.
If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in Missouri. Not sold on Missouri? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
