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Compare towns

Alba vs Higbee

176 miles apart. The biggest differences: kids under 18 (+26.1 pts in Alba) and jobs per worker (4.1× in Higbee).

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Alba, MOA small town of 624Missouri · 624 people
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Higbee, MOKnown for its schoolsMissouri · 507 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

AlbaA small town of 624
Quiet strengthsAlba doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Alba →
HigbeeKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 15%of MO districts Housing$223K typical home17% below the MO typical home All about Higbee →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Kids under 18+26.1 pts
Alba has more kids
Alba 40.5%Higbee 14.4%
Jobs per worker4.1×
Higbee is more of a job hub
Higbee 0.74Alba 0.18
Growth since 2010+17.2 pts
Alba has grown faster since 2010
Alba -2%Higbee -19.2%
Average commute12 min
Higbee has the shorter commute
Alba 35 minHigbee 23 min
Typical home built19 yrs
Higbee’s homes are older
Alba 1977Higbee 1958
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $950 more a month in Higbee

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Alba$500/mo
Typical home $83K (Census) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $865/mo · Housing →
Higbee$1,440/mo
Typical home $223K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.47% · or rent about $709/mo · Housing →

The difference: $950 a month, about $11,300 a year, between Higbee and Alba.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Missouri ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
–AlbaNot graded C−HigbeeBetter than 15% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AlbaHigbee
Snow a year8″15″
January low—19°F
July high—87°F
Growing season (days)—195d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)71st52nd
Outdoors & history
AlbaHigbee
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—0%
Settled1882—
Famous people born here1—
Community
AlbaHigbee
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

176 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

AlbaMOHigbeeMO
Alba ↔ Higbee176 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AlbaHigbee
People
Population 624Highest 507Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2%Highest MO: +2.8% -19.2%Lowest MO: +2.8%
Median age 29±9.4Highest 26% below MO 28.8±11.9Lowest 26% below MO
Alba and Higbee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 40.5%±19.9Highest MO: 22.3% 14.4%±5.7Lowest MO: 22.3%
Age 65+ 12.3%±4.4Lowest MO: 17.9% 17.8%±8.9Highest MO: 17.9%
Higbee and Alba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 13.3%Lowest MO: 32.4% 15.4%Highest MO: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.4%±1.8Highest MO: 5.7% 1.8%±3.1Lowest MO: 5.7%
Alba and Higbee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $51,510±$4kHighest 27% below MO $49,531±$28kLowest 30% below MO
Alba and Higbee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $83,200±$10kHighest 64% below MO $56,200±$26kLowest 76% below MO
Alba and Higbee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $865±$168Highest 16% below MO $709±$448Lowest 31% below MO
Alba and Higbee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $722Lowest 63% below MO $826Highest 58% below MO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 42.5%±34.5Lowest MO: 45.6% 63.3%±45.5Highest MO: 45.6%
Higbee and Alba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 32.4%Highest MO: 12.6% 9.1%Lowest MO: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.7%Lowest MO: 68.1% 73%Highest MO: 68.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Highest 1 yr older than MO 1958Lowest 20 yrs older than MO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 35 minHighest 50% above MO 23 minLowest about the MO average
Work from home 9%±8.3Highest MO: 13% 0%±4.1Lowest MO: 13%
Alba and Higbee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miLowest 26.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.18Lowest 0.74Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Joplin (28%)Moberly (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HigbeeFew work in Alba
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 2Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 131Lowest 133Highest
Schools
School district —HIGBEE R-VIII
High school in town —Higbee High
Students per teacherat that high school — 9.5
Missouri average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Alba neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alba’s Town Square.

Higbee neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Higbee’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Alba

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Atlanta499 people · $99K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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