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%

Smithville$2,290/mo

Typical home $378K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $1,323/mo · Housing →

Carl Junction$1,530/mo

Typical home $260K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,307/mo · Housing →

The difference: $760 a month, about $9,100 a year, between Smithville and Carl Junction.

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

Smithville places higher on 11 of 21 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+SmithvilleSafer than 68% of U.S. towns BCarl JunctionSafer than 55% of U.S. towns

Schools

ASmithvilleBetter than 91% of districts in the state A−Carl JunctionBetter than 83% of districts in the state

Health

B+SmithvilleHealthier than 68% of U.S. towns BCarl JunctionHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns

11Smithville

7Carl Junction

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 235 towns #185#66 Shortest commuteGetting around · 261 towns #235#157 Most walkableOutdoors · 261 towns #229#176 Lowest property taxCost of living · 259 towns #206#154 Most remote workersWork · 255 towns #72#123 SafestSafety · 156 towns #23#48 Most affordableCost of living · 260 towns #218#177 Fastest growingGrowth · 260 towns #15#55

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

SmithvilleCarl Junction

Snow a year18″8″

January low20°F —

July high88°F —

Growing season (days)193d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)63rd 66th

Outdoors & history

SmithvilleCarl Junction

Trails1 mi 0 mi

Conserved land1%3.7%

National Register places2 —

Archive photos3 —

Famous people born here1 —

Community

SmithvilleCarl Junction

Library hours a week69 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

154 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SmithvilleMO Carl JunctionMO

Smithville ↔ Carl Junction154 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

SmithvilleCarl Junction

People

Population 10,705Highest 8,339Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +23.5%Highest MO: +2.8% +9.4%Lowest MO: +2.8%

Median age 37.4±2.2Highest 4% below MO 35.9±3Lowest 8% below MO

Smithville and Carl Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 26.3%±3.8Lowest MO: 22.3% 30.2%±5.1Highest MO: 22.3%

Carl Junction and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 15.4%±2.9Highest MO: 17.9% 14.4%±2.8Lowest MO: 17.9%

Smithville and Carl Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 32.4%Lowest MO: 32.4% 42.6%Highest MO: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±2.4Highest MO: 5.7% 6.3%±2.4Lowest MO: 5.7%

Smithville and Carl Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $101,165±$9kHighest 43% above MO $82,879±$11kLowest 17% above MO

Smithville and Carl Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $290,600±$21kHighest 26% above MO $218,300±$14kLowest 5% below MO

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,323±$371Highest 28% above MO $1,307±$104Lowest 27% above MO

Smithville and Carl Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,850Highest 46% above MO $1,724Lowest 11% below MO

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 31.2%±14.5Lowest MO: 45.6% 49.5%±23.2Highest MO: 45.6%

Carl Junction and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 5.4%Lowest MO: 12.6% 8.4%Highest MO: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 84.2%Highest MO: 68.1% 77.4%Lowest MO: 68.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1996Lowest 18 yrs newer than MO 1997Highest 19 yrs newer than MO

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 21% above MO 23 minLowest about the MO average

Work from home 13.5%±4Highest MO: 13% 8.9%±3.3Lowest MO: 13%

Smithville and Carl Junction are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 9.5%Highest 9.1%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.3 miHighest 7.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.47Highest 0.31Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Kansas City (35%)Joplin (41%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Carl JunctionFew work in Smithville

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1%Lowest 3.7%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 26.6Lowest 50.6Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #33 of 226 in MO #52 of 226 in MO

School district SMITHVILLE R-IICARL JUNCTION R-I

High school in town Smithville HighCarl Junction High School

Students per teacherat that high school 16.4Highest 14.3Lowest

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.

Smithville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Smithville’s Town Square.

Carl Junction neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Carl Junction’s Town Square.

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Towns like Smithville

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Kearney10,885 people · $298K homes

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Greenwood6,013 people · $286K homes

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Arnold20,956 people · $220K homes

+ Compare

Jackson15,659 people · $240K 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.

Smithville vs Carl Junction

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $760 more a month in Smithville

Smithville places higher on 11 of 21 MO lists

What daily life feels like in each

154 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Smithville and Carl Junction

Towns like Smithville

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