Best places to live in Missouri (2026)

All 14 ranked places in Missouri, by all-round score. 3 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Lee's Summit, MOSuburb · 3-bed $358k · very safe62
2. 2O'Fallon, MOSuburb · 3-bed $349k · very safe59
3. 3Kansas City, MOBig city · 3-bed $247k · higher crime59
4. 4St. Peters, MOSuburb · 3-bed $319k · very safe59
5. 5Blue Springs, MOSuburb · 3-bed $286k · very safe58
6. 6Independence, MOSuburb · 3-bed $219k · moderate crime56
7. 7Columbia, MOCollege town · 3-bed $287k · safe55
8. 8St. Louis, MOBig city · 3-bed $255k · higher crime55
9. 9Wentzville, MOSmall city · 3-bed $372k · very safe52
10. 10Jefferson City, MOSmall city · 3-bed $266k · safe48
11. 11St. Joseph, MOSmall city · 3-bed $211k · higher crime46
12. 12Joplin, MOSmall city · 3-bed $206k · higher crime43
13. 13Springfield, MOMid-size city · 3-bed $235k · higher crime38
14. 14Cape Girardeau, MOSmall city · 3-bed $223k · moderate crime36

Cheapest places to live in Missouri

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Florissant, MOSuburb · rent $1,570/mo · cost of living 95$189k
2. 2Joplin, MOSmall city · rent $1,240/mo · cost of living 86$206k
3. 3St. Joseph, MOSmall city · rent $1,360/mo · cost of living 86$211k
4. 4Independence, MOSuburb · rent $1,770/mo · cost of living 93$219k
5. 5Cape Girardeau, MOSmall city · rent $1,380/mo · cost of living 86$223k

Safest places to live in Missouri

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Lee's Summit, MOSuburb · violent crime 0.3× the US rate116 per 100k
2. 2O'Fallon, MOSuburb · violent crime 0.3× the US rate127 per 100k
3. 3Blue Springs, MOSuburb · violent crime 0.5× the US rate179 per 100k
4. 4Wentzville, MOSmall city · violent crime 0.5× the US rate205 per 100k
5. 5St. Peters, MOSuburb · violent crime 0.6× the US rate241 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Missouri

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Blue Springs, MO7 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes76
2. 2Lee's Summit, MO7 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes73
3. 3Kansas City, MO7 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes71
4. 4Independence, MO7 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes71
5. 5Wentzville, MO9 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes65

Best places to live for families in Missouri

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Lee's Summit, MOSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $358k83
2. 2O'Fallon, MOSuburb · kids good · safety excellent · 3-bed $349k77
3. 3Blue Springs, MOSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $286k75
4. 4St. Peters, MOSuburb · kids average · safety excellent · 3-bed $319k71
5. 5Columbia, MOCollege town · kids average · safety good · 3-bed $287k68

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.