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%

Macon$1,090/mo

Typical home $187K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $680/mo · Housing →

St. James$1,410/mo

Typical home $242K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $695/mo · Housing →

The difference: $330 a month, about $3,900 a year, between St. James and Macon.

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

Macon places higher on 14 of 25 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

B−MaconSafer than 50% of U.S. towns CSt. JamesSafer than 25% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+MaconBetter than 67% of districts in the state A−St. JamesBetter than 83% of districts in the state

Health

CMaconHealthier than 34% of U.S. towns CSt. JamesHealthier than 31% of U.S. towns

14Macon

10St. James

Lists won, of 25 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most trailsOutdoors · 151 towns #126#4 Highest graduation rateSchools · 216 towns #170#6 Most-used librariesLibraries · 50 towns #4#31 Lowest depressionHealth · 261 towns #51#152 Most remote workersWork · 255 towns #205#116 Most library borrowingLibraries · 50 towns #18#35 SafestSafety · 156 towns #57#99 Fastest growingGrowth · 260 towns #155#221

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

MaconSt. James

Snow a year15″17″

January low19°F 22°F

July high87°F 89°F

Growing season (days)195d 207d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th 20th

Outdoors & history

MaconSt. James

Trails1 mi 9 mi

Conserved land2%3.1%

Settled1856 —

National Register places3 1

Archive photos10 —

Community

MaconSt. James

Library hours a week44 hrs 51 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

129 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MaconMO St. JamesMO

Macon ↔ St. James129 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

MaconSt. James

People

Population 5,466Highest 3,916Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.3%Highest MO: +2.8% -6.7%Lowest MO: +2.8%

Median age 46.1±4.3Lowest 18% above MO 49.3±14.5Highest 26% above MO

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

Kids under 18 21.1%±3.6Lowest MO: 22.3% 23.2%±6.8Highest MO: 22.3%

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

Age 65+ 23.5%±3.5Highest MO: 17.9% 22.9%±5.3Lowest MO: 17.9%

Macon 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+ 22.4%Highest MO: 32.4% 20.3%Lowest MO: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.5%±1.4Lowest MO: 5.7% 4%±2.4Highest MO: 5.7%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $61,642±$7kHighest 13% below MO $53,453±$10kLowest 24% below MO

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $151,800±$15kHighest 34% below MO $142,000±$13kLowest 38% below MO

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $680±$59Lowest 34% below MO $695±$175Highest 33% below MO

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,024Highest 47% below MO $1,017Lowest 48% below MO

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.7%±12.3Highest MO: 45.6% 50%±16.5Lowest MO: 45.6%

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

Below poverty line 10.5%Lowest MO: 12.6% 19.4%Highest MO: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 65.9%Highest MO: 68.1% 58.1%Lowest MO: 68.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1970Lowest 8 yrs older than MO 1976Highest 2 yrs older than MO

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 23% below MO 20 minHighest 13% below MO

Work from home 4.7%±2.7Lowest MO: 13% 9.5%±5.9Highest MO: 13%

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

Work in townworking residents 42.9%Highest 19.9%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.3 miHighest 11.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.72Lowest 2.01Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Moberly (9%)Rolla (23%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in St. JamesFew work in Macon

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2%Lowest 3.1%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miLowest 9.4 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 2.2 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 8Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.6Lowest 64.9Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #73 of 226 in MO #54 of 226 in MO

School district MACON CO. R-IST. JAMES R-I

High school in town Macon Senior HighST. James High

Students per teacherat that high school 13.4 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.

Macon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Macon’s Town Square.

St. James neighborsTown Square →

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

Add a town

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Towns like Macon

+ Compare

Eldon4,556 people · $157K homes

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Ste. Genevieve5,010 people · $172K homes

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Brookfield Township4,706 people · $119K homes

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Dellwood4,847 people · $84K 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.

Macon vs St. James

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $330 more a month in St. James

Macon places higher on 14 of 25 MO lists

What daily life feels like in each

129 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Macon and St. James

Towns like Macon

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