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Compare towns

Central vs Lamar

Next-door neighbors in Barton County. The biggest differences: average commute (16 min in Lamar) and size (4.5× in Lamar).

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Central, MOA small town of 340Barton County · 340 people
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Lamar, MOHomes around $191KBarton County · 1,524 people
Swap order
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.

CentralA small town of 340
Quiet strengthsCentral doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Central →
LamarHomes around $191K
Housing$191K typical home29% below the MO typical home Outdoors#55 most conserved land in MO8.0 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves Health95% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Lamar →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

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

Average commute16 min
Lamar has the shorter commute
Central 36 minLamar 20 min
Size4.5×
Lamar is the bigger place
Lamar 1,524Central 340
Typical home built23 yrs
Central’s homes are older
Lamar 1979Central 1956
Bachelor’s degree++14 pts
More adults in Lamar have a degree
Lamar 21.6%Central 7.6%
Property tax bill+24%
Tax bills are bigger in Lamar
Lamar $1,082Central $876
Jobs per worker+67%
Lamar is more of a job hub
Lamar 0.60Central 0.36
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $180 more a month in Lamar

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.

Central$900/mo
Typical home $158K (Census) · tax rate 0.55% · or rent about $617/mo · Housing →
Lamar$1,080/mo
Typical home $191K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.53% · or rent about $842/mo · Housing →

The difference: $180 a month, about $2,200 a year, between Lamar and Central.

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.

Where they are

Central and Lamar share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CentralLamarCentralLamar
Central ↔ Lamar9.0 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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.

Health
–CentralNot graded D−LamarHealthier than 5% of U.S. towns
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
CentralLamar
Snow a year7″7″
January low22°F22°F
July high88°F88°F
Growing season (days)199d199d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)76th74th
Outdoors & history
CentralLamar
Trails7 mi8 mi
Conserved land1.3%0.5%
Settled—1852
Archive photos—4
Famous people born here—4
Community
CentralLamar
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.

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.

CentralLamar
People
Population 340Lowest 1,524Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7.1%Lowest MO: +2.8% -6.8%Highest MO: +2.8%
Median age 57.4±20.9Highest 47% above MO 45.2±12.4Lowest 16% above MO
Central and Lamar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 17.6%±11.4Lowest MO: 22.3% 25.1%±4.8Highest MO: 22.3%
Lamar and Central are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 33.8%±10.9Highest MO: 17.9% 19.7%±5Lowest MO: 17.9%
Central and Lamar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.6%Lowest MO: 32.4% 21.6%Highest MO: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.9%±5.8Highest MO: 5.7% 1.5%±2Lowest MO: 5.7%
Central and Lamar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $49,095±$3kLowest 31% below MO $56,926±$15kHighest 19% below MO
Lamar and Central are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $158,200±$46kLowest 31% below MO $206,000±$93kHighest 11% below MO
Lamar and Central are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $617±$346Lowest 40% below MO $842±$496Highest 18% below MO
Lamar and Central are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $876Lowest 55% below MO $1,082Highest 44% below MO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40%±79.6Lowest MO: 45.6% 41.9%±100Highest MO: 45.6%
Lamar and Central are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.4%Lowest MO: 12.6% 14.7%Highest MO: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74.8%Lowest MO: 68.1% 82%Highest MO: 68.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1956Lowest 22 yrs older than MO 1979Highest 1 yr newer than MO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 36 minHighest 53% above MO 20 minLowest 16% below MO
Work from home 9%±16.3Lowest MO: 13% 12.8%±9.5Highest MO: 13%
Lamar and Central are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.4%Lowest 3.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miHighest 24.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.36Lowest 0.60Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Pittsburg (10%)Lamar (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LamarFew work in Central
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.3%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 7.4 miLowest 8.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.7Lowest 2.4Highest
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.

Central neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Central’s Town Square.

Lamar neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lamar’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Central and Lamar

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Central

O
+ Compare
Ozark896 people · $77K homes
N
+ Compare
Nashville302 people · $403K homes
B
+ Compare
Barton City118 people
U
+ Compare
Union780 people · $263K homes

Towns like Central

S
+ Compare
Salem382 people · $106K homes
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Fisk502 people
P
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Pleasant Gap214 people · $94K homes
M
+ Compare
Missouri City215 people · $93K 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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