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%

Mountain Grove$1,160/mo

Typical home $205K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50% · or rent about $839/mo · Housing →

Castor Township$600/mo

Typical home $102K (Census) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $765/mo · Housing →

The difference: $560 a month, about $6,700 a year, between Mountain Grove and Castor Township.

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

Castor Township places higher on 10 of 18 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−Mountain GroveSafer than 48% of U.S. towns –Castor TownshipNot graded

Schools

A−Mountain GroveBetter than 75% of districts in the state A−Castor TownshipBetter than 79% of districts in the state

Health

D−Mountain GroveHealthier than 3% of U.S. towns DCastor TownshipHealthier than 11% of U.S. towns

8Mountain Grove

10Castor Township

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Shortest commuteGetting around · 261 towns #12#208 Most walkableOutdoors · 261 towns #116#258 Highest incomeIncome · 261 towns #249#146 Lowest obesityHealth · 261 towns #221#119 Most activeHealth · 261 towns #239#184 Lowest depressionHealth · 261 towns #203#152 Most remote workersWork · 255 towns #155#204 HealthiestHealth · 261 towns #237#194

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

Mountain GroveCastor Township

Snow a year10″3″

January low22°F 28°F

July high87°F 91°F

Growing season (days)196d 225d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd 81st

Outdoors & history

Mountain GroveCastor Township

Trails0 mi 34 mi

Conserved land1.8%1.3%

National Register places3 —

Archive photos27 —

Famous people born here7 —

Community

Mountain GroveCastor Township

Library hours a week38 hrs 39 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined1 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.

Mountain GroveMO Castor TownshipStoddard County

Mountain Grove ↔ Castor Township129 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

Mountain GroveCastor Township

People

Population 4,491Lowest 4,679Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -9.9%Lowest MO: +2.8% -9.7%Highest MO: +2.8%

Median age 43.2±2Lowest 11% above MO 44.2±3.6Highest 13% above MO

Castor Township and Mountain Grove are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 22.7%±7.5Highest MO: 22.3% 20.2%±4.2Lowest MO: 22.3%

Mountain Grove and Castor Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 23.8%±5.6Highest MO: 17.9% 22.6%±3.8Lowest MO: 17.9%

Mountain Grove and Castor Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.3%Highest MO: 32.4% 14%Lowest MO: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.2%±1.9 MO: 5.7% 2.2%±1 MO: 5.7%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $37,415±$15kLowest 47% below MO $57,125±$13kHighest 19% below MO

Castor Township and Mountain Grove are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $87,200±$14kLowest 62% below MO $101,900±$23kHighest 56% below MO

Castor Township and Mountain Grove are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $839±$228Highest 19% below MO $765±$71Lowest 26% below MO

Mountain Grove and Castor Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $438Lowest 78% below MO $795Highest 59% below MO

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.4%±22Lowest MO: 45.6% 49.7%±10.2Highest MO: 45.6%

Castor Township and Mountain Grove are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 17.8%Highest MO: 12.6% 14.2%Lowest MO: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 75.3%Lowest MO: 68.1% 76.9%Highest MO: 68.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 11 yrs older than MO 1975Highest 3 yrs older than MO

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 14 minLowest 40% below MO 26 minHighest 12% above MO

Work from home 7.2%±5.8Highest MO: 13% 4.8%±3.2Lowest MO: 13%

Mountain Grove and Castor Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 23.5%Highest 9.6%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 miHighest 17.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.24Highest 0.49Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Springfield (11%)Dexter (23%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Castor TownshipFew work in Mountain Grove

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.8%Highest 1.3%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 34.2 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.3 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 67.5Highest 4.7Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #74 of 226 in MO #38 of 226 in MO

School district MOUNTAIN GROVE R-IIIBLOOMFIELD R-XIV

High school in town Mountain Grove HighBloomfield High

Students per teacherat that high school 15.7Highest 10.8Lowest

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.

Mountain Grove neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Weekend Plans Ahead

1 neighbor in Mountain Grove can answer.

Castor Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Castor Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mountain Grove and Castor Township

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

Bordering Mountain Grove

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Clinton Township1,133 people · $235K homes

Towns like Mountain Grove

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Brookfield4,144 people · $102K homes

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Piney Township4,871 people · $124K homes

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Chaffee3,026 people · $117K homes

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Pike Township3,605 people · $122K 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.

Mountain Grove vs Castor Township

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $560 more a month in Mountain Grove

Castor Township places higher on 10 of 18 MO lists

What daily life feels like in each

129 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Weekend Plans Ahead

Set another town beside Mountain Grove and Castor Township

Bordering Mountain Grove

Towns like Mountain Grove

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