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%

Piney Township$710/mo

Typical home $124K (Census) · tax rate 0.59% · or rent about $671/mo · Housing →

Eldon$1,100/mo

Typical home $195K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.49% · or rent about $822/mo · Housing →

The difference: $390 a month, about $4,700 a year, between Eldon and Piney 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

Eldon places higher on 10 of 19 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

–Piney TownshipNot graded BEldonSafer than 64% of U.S. towns

Schools

C+Piney TownshipBetter than 35% of districts in the state AEldonBetter than 87% of districts in the state

Health

DPiney TownshipHealthier than 6% of U.S. towns C−EldonHealthier than 18% of U.S. towns

8Piney Township

10Eldon

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 261 towns #257#58 Best schoolsSchools · 226 towns #180#77 Lowest obesityHealth · 261 towns #203#94 Highest graduation rateSchools · 216 towns #96#6 Most activeHealth · 261 towns #218#152 Most conserved landOutdoors · 235 towns #200#142 Cheapest rentCost of living · 256 towns #22#85 Fewest smokersHealth · 261 towns #213#151

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

Piney TownshipEldon

Snow a year4″4″

January low24°F 25°F

July high87°F 89°F

Growing season (days)194d 216d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd 24th

Outdoors & history

Piney TownshipEldon

Trails9 mi —

Conserved land0.7%—

Community

Piney TownshipEldon

Library hours a week44 hrs 46 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

78 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Piney TownshipTexas County EldonMO

Piney Township ↔ Eldon78 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

Piney TownshipEldon

People

Population 4,871Highest 4,556Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.9%Highest MO: +2.8% -3.3%Lowest MO: +2.8%

Median age 41±3.9Lowest 5% above MO 44.3±6.8Highest 14% above MO

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

Kids under 18 23.4%±4.2Highest MO: 22.3% 18.7%±4.3Lowest MO: 22.3%

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

Age 65+ 18.1%±3.1Lowest MO: 17.9% 23.2%±4.9Highest MO: 17.9%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.2%Highest MO: 32.4% 17.5%Lowest MO: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.7%±0.8Highest MO: 5.7% 0.4%±0.6Lowest MO: 5.7%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $47,462±$5kHighest 33% below MO $41,684±$8kLowest 41% below MO

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $123,900±$20kLowest 46% below MO $157,400±$45kHighest 32% below MO

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $671±$62Lowest 35% below MO $822±$57Highest 20% below MO

Property taxmedian, yearly $735Lowest 62% below MO $769Highest 61% below MO

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.6%±8.8Highest MO: 45.6% 38.7%±14.4Lowest MO: 45.6%

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

Below poverty line 26.7%Highest MO: 12.6% 12.8%Lowest MO: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 71.9%Highest MO: 68.1% 68.5%Lowest MO: 68.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1975Highest 3 yrs older than MO 1974Lowest 4 yrs older than MO

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minLowest 13% below MO 21 minHighest 13% below MO

Work from home 4.4%±1.9Lowest MO: 13% 6.4%±3Highest MO: 13%

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

Work in townworking residents 33%Highest 19.1%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 miLowest 21.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.29Highest 1.26Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Houston (31%)Jefferson City (15%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in EldonFew work in Piney Township

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.7%Lowest 1.8%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 8.6 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 4.9Lowest 90.1Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #180 of 226 in MO #77 of 226 in MO

School district HOUSTON R-IELDON R-I

High school in town Houston HighEldon High

Students per teacherat that high school 11.6Lowest 18.7Highest

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.

Piney Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Piney Township’s Town Square.

Eldon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Eldon’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Piney Township and Eldon

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

Bordering Piney Township

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Cass Township668 people · $158K homes

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Lynch Township1,266 people · $151K homes

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Jackson Township1,777 people · $124K homes

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Morris Township647 people · $178K homes

Towns like Piney Township

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Chaffee3,026 people · $117K homes

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Sugar Creek3,249 people · $137K homes

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California4,509 people · $153K homes

+ Compare

Duck Creek Township2,813 people · $152K 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.

Piney Township vs Eldon

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $390 more a month in Eldon

Eldon places higher on 10 of 19 MO lists

What daily life feels like in each

78 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Piney Township and Eldon

Bordering Piney Township

Towns like Piney Township

Post to Piney Township

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