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Bethany vs St. James

203 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (15.7× in St. James) and work in town (+14 pts in Bethany).

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Bethany, MOHomes around $138KMissouri · 3,080 people
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St. James, MOAn outdoors townMissouri · 3,916 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.

BethanyHomes around $138K
Housing$138K typical home48% below the MO typical home Health79% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Bethany →
St. JamesAn outdoors town
Outdoors#4 most trails in MO9.4 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves Schools#54 for schools in MOof 226 towns Housing$242K typical home10% below the MO typical home All about St. James →
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.

Trails15.7×
St. James has more miles of trail
St. James 9.4 miBethany 0.6 mi
Work in town+14 pts
More of Bethany’s workers stay in town
Bethany 33.9%St. James 19.9%
Typical home built15 yrs
Bethany’s homes are older
St. James 1976Bethany 1961
Growth since 2010+4.8 pts
St. James has grown faster since 2010
St. James -6.7%Bethany -11.5%
Jobs per worker+55%
St. James is more of a job hub
St. James 2.01Bethany 1.30
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $580 more a month in St. James

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.

Bethany$830/mo
Typical home $138K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $700/mo · Housing →
St. James$1,410/mo
Typical home $242K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $695/mo · Housing →

The difference: $580 a month, about $7,000 a year, between St. James and Bethany.

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

St. James places higher on 14 of 22 MO lists

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.

Safety
–BethanyNot graded CSt. JamesSafer than 25% of U.S. towns
Schools
–BethanyNot graded A−St. JamesBetter than 83% of districts in the state
Health
C−BethanyHealthier than 21% of U.S. towns CSt. JamesHealthier than 31% of U.S. towns
6Bethany
14St. James

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 216 towns #201#6 Most conserved landOutdoors · 235 towns #180#78 Most-used librariesLibraries · 50 towns #44#31 Lowest obesityHealth · 261 towns #119#52 Most remote workersWork · 255 towns #56#116 Most new homesHousing · 200 towns #154#107 Lowest depressionHealth · 261 towns #92#152 Best libraries for kidsLibraries · 50 towns #44#34

Left end = #1 in Missouri. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Bethany’s rankings →

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
BethanySt. James
Snow a year21″17″
January low16°F22°F
July high87°F89°F
Growing season (days)186d207d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th20th
Outdoors & history
BethanySt. James
Trails1 mi9 mi
Conserved land1.1%3.1%
Settled1860—
National Register places11
Archive photos2—
Famous people born here2—
Community
BethanySt. James
Library hours a week33 hrs51 hrs
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

203 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BethanyMOSt. JamesMO
Bethany ↔ St. James203 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.

BethanySt. James
People
Population 3,080Lowest 3,916Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -11.5%Lowest MO: +2.8% -6.7%Highest MO: +2.8%
Median age 43.8±7.5Lowest 12% above MO 49.3±14.5Highest 26% above MO
St. James and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.2%±5.9 MO: 22.3% 23.2%±6.8 MO: 22.3%
Age 65+ 26.1%±4.8Highest MO: 17.9% 22.9%±5.3Lowest MO: 17.9%
Bethany and St. James are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.5%Lowest MO: 32.4% 20.3%Highest MO: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.9%±1.7Lowest MO: 5.7% 4%±2.4Highest MO: 5.7%
St. James and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $48,375±$12kLowest 32% below MO $53,453±$10kHighest 24% below MO
St. James and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $121,700±$31kLowest 47% below MO $142,000±$13kHighest 38% below MO
St. James and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $700±$76Highest 32% below MO $695±$175Lowest 33% below MO
Bethany and St. James are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,132Highest 42% below MO $1,017Lowest 48% below MO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49%±19.2Lowest MO: 45.6% 50%±16.5Highest MO: 45.6%
St. James and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17.1%Lowest MO: 12.6% 19.4%Highest MO: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.4%Lowest MO: 68.1% 58.1%Highest MO: 68.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1961Lowest 17 yrs older than MO 1976Highest 2 yrs older than MO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 25% below MO 20 minHighest 13% below MO
Work from home 15.3%±6.6Highest MO: 13% 9.5%±5.9Lowest MO: 13%
Bethany and St. James are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 33.9%Highest 19.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 26.3 miHighest 11.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.30Lowest 2.01Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Kansas City (8%)Rolla (23%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in St. JamesFew work in Bethany
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.1%Lowest 3.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miLowest 9.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 2.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 58.7Lowest 64.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#54 of 226 in MO
School district —ST. JAMES R-I
High school in town —ST. James High
Students per teacherat that high school — 13.4
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.

Bethany neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bethany’s Town Square.

St. James neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to St. James’s Town Square.

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Towns like Bethany

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Salem4,677 people · $115K 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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