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%

Pleasant Hill$2,230/mo

Typical home $373K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.87% · or rent about $1,174/mo · Housing →

Jackson$1,600/mo

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

The difference: $630 a month, about $7,500 a year, between Pleasant Hill 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

Jackson places higher on 16 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

B+Pleasant HillSafer than 73% of U.S. towns BJacksonSafer than 64% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−Pleasant HillBetter than 77% of districts in the state B+JacksonBetter than 74% of districts in the state

Health

BPleasant HillHealthier than 55% of U.S. towns B+JacksonHealthier than 66% of U.S. towns

5Pleasant Hill

16Jackson

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

Most trailsOutdoors · 151 towns #112#6 Shortest commuteGetting around · 261 towns #256#92 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 261 towns #94#241 Most walkableOutdoors · 261 towns #204#118 Cheapest rentCost of living · 256 towns #197#114 Highest graduation rateSchools · 216 towns #6#75 Lowest obesityHealth · 261 towns #119#40 Most remote workersWork · 255 towns #152#79

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

Pleasant HillJackson

Snow a year17″8″

January low21°F 24°F

July high88°F 90°F

Growing season (days)204d 202d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)46th 76th

Outdoors & history

Pleasant HillJackson

Trails2 mi 21 mi

Conserved land2%2.3%

Settled1844 —

National Register places1 6

Archive photos6 7

Famous people born here5 13

Community

Pleasant HillJackson

Library hours a week50 hrs 57 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

270 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Pleasant HillMO JacksonMO

Pleasant Hill ↔ Jackson270 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

Pleasant HillJackson

People

Population 8,847Lowest 15,659Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.2%Lowest MO: +2.8% +12.5%Highest MO: +2.8%

Median age 34.7±4.3Lowest 11% below MO 37.1±2.1Highest 5% below MO

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

Kids under 18 21.7%±3.7Lowest MO: 22.3% 24.7%±3Highest MO: 22.3%

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

Age 65+ 16.5%±3.5Lowest MO: 17.9% 17.2%±2.4Highest MO: 17.9%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 31.7%Lowest MO: 32.4% 35.8%Highest MO: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.5%±1.6Lowest MO: 5.7% 5.2%±1.7Highest MO: 5.7%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $95,602±$15kHighest 35% above MO $77,105±$7kLowest 9% above MO

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $278,400±$34kHighest 21% above MO $240,000±$18kLowest 4% above MO

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,174±$157Highest 14% above MO $900±$114Lowest 13% below MO

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,423Highest 24% above MO $1,622Lowest 17% below MO

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 38.7%±18.4Highest MO: 45.6% 37.2%±10.2Lowest MO: 45.6%

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

Below poverty line 6%Lowest MO: 12.6% 8.6%Highest MO: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 69.2%Lowest MO: 68.1% 71.1%Highest MO: 68.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1993Highest 15 yrs newer than MO 1991Lowest 13 yrs newer than MO

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 33 minHighest 42% above MO 20 minLowest 14% below MO

Work from home 7.2%±2.2Lowest MO: 13% 12.4%±3.8Highest MO: 13%

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

Work in townworking residents 11.7%Lowest 19.3%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.8 miHighest 9.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.51Lowest 0.81Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Kansas City (21%)Cape Girardeau (31%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in JacksonFew work in Pleasant Hill

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2%Lowest 2.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 2.2 miLowest 20.5 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 1.9 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 10Highest 4Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 41.9Lowest 67.1Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #108 of 226 in MO #80 of 226 in MO

School district PLEASANT HILL R-IIIJACKSON R-II

High school in town Pleasant Hill HighJackson SR. High

Students per teacherat that high school 15.6Lowest 16.8Highest

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.

Pleasant Hill neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pleasant Hill’s Town Square.

Jackson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Jackson’s Town Square.

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Towns like Pleasant Hill

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Kearney10,885 people · $298K 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.

Pleasant Hill vs Jackson

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $630 more a month in Pleasant Hill

Jackson places higher on 16 of 22 MO lists

What daily life feels like in each

270 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Pleasant Hill and Jackson

Towns like Pleasant Hill

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