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.

Down paymentRate%

Jackson$1,600/mo

Typical home $276K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.68% · or rent about $900/mo · Housing →

Kearney$2,440/mo

Typical home $403K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $1,251/mo · Housing →

The difference: $840 a month, about $10,100 a year, between Kearney and Jackson.

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

Kearney places higher on 12 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

BJacksonSafer than 64% of U.S. towns B+KearneySafer than 66% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+JacksonBetter than 74% of districts in the state AKearneyBetter than 93% of districts in the state

Health

B+JacksonHealthier than 66% of U.S. towns A−KearneyHealthier than 76% of U.S. towns

8Jackson

12Kearney

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

Most trailsOutdoors · 151 towns #6#119 Cheapest rentCost of living · 256 towns #114#211 Most walkableOutdoors · 261 towns #118#216 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 261 towns #241#148 Highest graduation rateSchools · 216 towns #75#6 Shortest commuteGetting around · 261 towns #92#166 Best schoolsSchools · 226 towns #80#18 Lowest property taxCost of living · 259 towns #146#208

Left end = #1 in Missouri. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Jackson’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

JacksonKearney

Snow a year8″19″

January low24°F 17°F

July high90°F 88°F

Growing season (days)202d 181d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)76th 50th

Outdoors & history

JacksonKearney

Trails21 mi 3 mi

Conserved land2.3%2%

Settled—1856

National Register places6 3

Archive photos7 —

Famous people born here13 5

Community

JacksonKearney

Library hours a week57 hrs 69 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

289 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

JacksonMO KearneyMO

Jackson ↔ Kearney289 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.

Only big differences vs Missouri average

JacksonKearney

People

Population 15,659Highest 10,885Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +12.5%Lowest MO: +2.8% +24.1%Highest MO: +2.8%

Median age 37.1±2.1Lowest 5% below MO 39.3±3.1Highest about the MO average

Kearney and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 24.7%±3Highest MO: 22.3% 23.7%±3.6Lowest MO: 22.3%

Jackson and Kearney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 17.2%±2.4Lowest MO: 17.9% 18.1%±2.9Highest MO: 17.9%

Kearney and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.8%Lowest MO: 32.4% 36.8%Highest MO: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±1.7Highest MO: 5.7% 3.6%±1.6Lowest MO: 5.7%

Jackson and Kearney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $77,105±$7kLowest 9% above MO $103,622±$11kHighest 47% above MO

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $240,000±$18kLowest 4% above MO $298,400±$20kHighest 30% above MO

Rentmedian gross, monthly $900±$114Lowest 13% below MO $1,251±$185Highest 21% above MO

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,622Lowest 17% below MO $2,940Highest 51% above MO

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 37.2%±10.2Lowest MO: 45.6% 42.4%±15.2Highest MO: 45.6%

Kearney and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 8.6%Highest MO: 12.6% 3.6%Lowest MO: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 71.1%Lowest MO: 68.1% 74.5%Highest MO: 68.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1991Lowest 13 yrs newer than MO 2002Highest 24 yrs newer than MO

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 14% below MO 24 minHighest about the MO average

Work from home 12.4%±3.8Lowest MO: 13% 15.2%±3.7Highest MO: 13%

Kearney and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 19.3%Highest 11.2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miLowest 18.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.81Highest 0.58Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Cape Girardeau (31%)Kansas City (29%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in KearneyFew work in Jackson

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.3%Highest 2%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 20.5 miHighest 2.9 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.9 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 3Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 67.1Highest 35.0Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #80 of 226 in MO #18 of 226 in MO

School district JACKSON R-IIKEARNEY R-I

High school in town Jackson SR. HighKearney High

Students per teacherat that high school 16.8Highest 14.2Lowest

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.

Jackson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Jackson’s Town Square.

Kearney neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Kearney’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Jackson and Kearney

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

Bordering Jackson

+ Compare

Cape Girardeau40,344 people · $196K homes

Towns like Jackson

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Nixa24,836 people · $259K homes

+ Compare

Pleasant Hill8,847 people · $278K homes

+ Compare

Liberty30,689 people · $283K homes

+ Compare

Grain Valley16,271 people · $284K 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.

Jackson vs Kearney

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $840 more a month in Kearney

Kearney places higher on 12 of 22 MO lists

What daily life feels like in each

289 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Jackson and Kearney

Bordering Jackson

Towns like Jackson

Post to Jackson

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