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%

St. James$1,410/mo

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

Macon$1,090/mo

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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

10St. James

14Macon

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

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

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

St. JamesMacon

Snow a year17″15″

January low22°F 19°F

July high89°F 87°F

Growing season (days)207d 195d

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

Outdoors & history

St. JamesMacon

Trails9 mi 1 mi

Conserved land3.1%2%

Settled—1856

National Register places1 3

Archive photos—10

Community

St. JamesMacon

Library hours a week51 hrs 44 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.

St. JamesMO MaconMO

St. James ↔ Macon129 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

St. JamesMacon

People

Population 3,916Lowest 5,466Highest

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

Median age 49.3±14.5Highest 26% above MO 46.1±4.3Lowest 18% 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 23.2%±6.8Highest MO: 22.3% 21.1%±3.6Lowest 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+ 22.9%±5.3Lowest MO: 17.9% 23.5%±3.5Highest 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+ 20.3%Lowest MO: 32.4% 22.4%Highest MO: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4%±2.4Highest MO: 5.7% 2.5%±1.4Lowest 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 $53,453±$10kLowest 24% below MO $61,642±$7kHighest 13% 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 $142,000±$13kLowest 38% below MO $151,800±$15kHighest 34% 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 $695±$175Highest 33% below MO $680±$59Lowest 34% 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 $1,017Lowest 48% below MO $1,024Highest 47% below MO

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50%±16.5Lowest MO: 45.6% 50.7%±12.3Highest 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 19.4%Highest MO: 12.6% 10.5%Lowest MO: 12.6%

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 9.5%±5.9Highest MO: 13% 4.7%±2.7Lowest 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 19.9%Lowest 42.9%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.8 miLowest 17.3 miHighest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MaconFew work in St. James

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.1%Highest 2%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 9.4 miHighest 1.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.2 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 8Highest

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

Schools

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

School district ST. JAMES R-IMACON CO. R-I

High school in town ST. James HighMacon Senior 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.

St. James neighborsTown Square →

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

Macon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Macon’s Town Square.

Add a town

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

Towns like St. James

+ Compare

Bethany3,080 people · $122K homes

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Mountain View2,658 people · $124K homes

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Ste. Genevieve5,010 people · $172K homes

+ Compare

Bethany Township3,312 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.

St. James vs Macon

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 St. James and Macon

Towns like St. James

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