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Compare towns

La Belle vs Alba

240 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (2.2× in Alba) and jobs per worker (3.1× in La Belle).

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La Belle, MOA small town of 775Missouri · 775 people
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Alba, MOA small town of 624Missouri · 624 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.

La BelleA small town of 775
Quiet strengthsLa Belle doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about La Belle →
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 →
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.

Rent2.2×
Rent runs higher in Alba
Alba $865La Belle $400
Jobs per worker3.1×
La Belle is more of a job hub
La Belle 0.56Alba 0.18
Average commute13 min
La Belle has the shorter commute
Alba 35 minLa Belle 22 min
Property tax bill+39%
Tax bills are bigger in Alba
Alba $722La Belle $521
Typical home built22 yrs
La Belle’s homes are older
Alba 1977La Belle 1955
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

La Belle$460/mo
Typical home $79K (Census) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $400/mo · Housing →
Alba$500/mo
Typical home $83K (Census) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $865/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

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.

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
La BelleAlba
Snow a year18″8″
January low18°F—
July high86°F—
Growing season (days)184d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th71st
Outdoors & history
La BelleAlba
Settled18721882
Archive photos4—
Famous people born here—1
Community
La BelleAlba
Library hours a week34 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

240 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

La BelleMOAlbaMO
La Belle ↔ Alba240 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.

La BelleAlba
People
Population 775Highest 624Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.6%Highest MO: +2.8% -2%Lowest MO: +2.8%
Median age 27.9±10Lowest 28% below MO 29±9.4Highest 26% below MO
Alba and La Belle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.1%±8.2Lowest MO: 22.3% 40.5%±19.9Highest MO: 22.3%
Alba and La Belle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.5%±4.1Highest MO: 17.9% 12.3%±4.4Lowest MO: 17.9%
La Belle and Alba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 6.9%Lowest MO: 32.4% 13.3%Highest MO: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.3%±4.9Highest MO: 5.7% 2.4%±1.8Lowest MO: 5.7%
La Belle and Alba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $36,688±$11kLowest 48% below MO $51,510±$4kHighest 27% below MO
Alba and La Belle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $79,400±$34kLowest 66% below MO $83,200±$10kHighest 64% below MO
Alba and La Belle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $400±$253Lowest 61% below MO $865±$168Highest 16% below MO
Property taxmedian, yearly $521Lowest 73% below MO $722Highest 63% below MO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.4%±33.5Highest MO: 45.6% 42.5%±34.5Lowest MO: 45.6%
La Belle and Alba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 42.2%Highest MO: 12.6% 32.4%Lowest MO: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71.4%Highest MO: 68.1% 67.7%Lowest MO: 68.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1955Lowest 23 yrs older than MO 1977Highest 1 yr older than MO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minLowest 7% below MO 35 minHighest 50% above MO
Work from home 5.4%±4.6Lowest MO: 13% 9%±8.3Highest MO: 13%
Alba and La Belle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 6.5%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 31.3 miHighest 12.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.56Highest 0.18Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Quincy (14%)Joplin (28%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AlbaFew work in La Belle
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 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 120Lowest 131Highest
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.

La Belle neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to La Belle’s Town Square.

Alba neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Alba’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like La Belle

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Arbyrd432 people · $47K homes
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Bacon Township633 people · $91K 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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