Best places to live in Missouri
3 Missouri metros scored on the default family weighting — schools and safety heaviest, then affordability, climate, college pipeline and jobs. Change the weights on the ranking engine to see your own order.
Who lives in Missouri
Population-weighted racial and ethnic composition across the 3 tracked Missouri metros, from Census ACS table B03002.
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 71.4%
- Hispanic or Latino
- 6.8%
- Black (non-Hispanic)
- 13.6%
- Asian (non-Hispanic)
- 2.8%
- Other or two or more
- 5.4%
Diversity index 57/100 — how evenly the population is spread across these groups. It is descriptive, not a judgement: weight it up, down or to zero on the ranking engine.
| # | Metro | Score | US rank | Typical home | Schools | Safety | Climate | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Louis | 58.6 | #21 of 103 | $277k | 42 | 27 | 22° / 89° | 58 |
| 2 | Kansas City | 51.8 | #48 of 103 | $330k | 34 | 27 | 21° / 89° | 62 |
| 3 | Springfield | 46.5 | #72 of 103 | $273k | 45 | 27 | 22° / 89° | 31 |
Figures are compiled estimates. Methodology and sources.