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 →

Mountain View$1,200/mo

Typical home $207K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $424/mo · Housing →

The difference: $210 a month, about $2,600 a year, between St. James and Mountain View.

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

St. James places higher on 16 of 23 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 –Mountain ViewNot graded

Schools

A−St. JamesBetter than 83% of districts in the state B+Mountain ViewBetter than 70% of districts in the state

Health

CSt. JamesHealthier than 31% of U.S. towns DMountain ViewHealthier than 9% of U.S. towns

16St. James

6Mountain View

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most trailsOutdoors · 151 towns #4#109 Most-used librariesLibraries · 50 towns #31#3 Most library borrowingLibraries · 50 towns #35#8 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 261 towns #86#217 Fewest smokersHealth · 261 towns #101#213 Most remote workersWork · 255 towns #116#207 Most educatedPeople · 261 towns #146#239 HealthiestHealth · 261 towns #122#213

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. JamesMountain View

Snow a year17″6″

January low22°F —

July high89°F —

Growing season (days)207d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)20th 62nd

Outdoors & history

St. JamesMountain View

Trails9 mi 1 mi

Conserved land3.1%0%

Settled—1888

National Register places1 —

Archive photos—4

Community

St. JamesMountain View

Library hours a week51 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

70 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

St. JamesMO Mountain ViewMO

St. James ↔ Mountain View70 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. JamesMountain View

People

Population 3,916Highest 2,658Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.7%Highest MO: +2.8% -6.8%Lowest MO: +2.8%

Median age 49.3±14.5Highest 26% above MO 47.4±9.7Lowest 22% above MO

St. James and Mountain View 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% 18.6%±4.6Lowest MO: 22.3%

St. James and Mountain View 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% 27.9%±6.5Highest MO: 17.9%

Mountain View 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%Highest MO: 32.4% 11.7%Lowest MO: 32.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4%±2.4Highest MO: 5.7% 2.7%±1.7Lowest MO: 5.7%

St. James and Mountain View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $53,453±$10kHighest 24% below MO $38,942±$13kLowest 45% below MO

St. James and Mountain View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $142,000±$13kHighest 38% below MO $123,500±$24kLowest 46% below MO

St. James and Mountain View 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 $424±$93Lowest 59% below MO

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,017Highest 48% below MO $822Lowest 58% below MO

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50%±16.5Lowest MO: 45.6% 58.6%±20.7Highest MO: 45.6%

Mountain View 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%Lowest MO: 12.6% 29.4%Highest MO: 12.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 58.1%Lowest MO: 68.1% 60%Highest MO: 68.1%

Typical home builtmedian year 1976Lowest 2 yrs older than MO 1977Highest 1 yr older than MO

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 20 minHighest 13% below MO 18 minLowest 22% below MO

Work from home 9.5%±5.9Highest MO: 13% 4.5%±3.4Lowest MO: 13%

St. James and Mountain View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 19.9%Lowest 23.5%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.8 miLowest 20.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.01Highest 1.21Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Rolla (23%)West Plains (14%)

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

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.1%Highest 0%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 9.4 miHighest 1.1 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.2 miHighest 0.3 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 64.9Highest 48.5Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #54 of 226 in MO #123 of 226 in MO

School district ST. JAMES R-IMOUNTAIN VIEW-BIRCH TREE R-III

High school in town ST. James HighNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 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.

Mountain View neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mountain View’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like St. James

+ Compare

Macon5,466 people · $152K homes

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Bethany3,080 people · $122K 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 Mountain View

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $210 more a month in St. James

St. James places higher on 16 of 23 MO lists

What daily life feels like in each

70 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside St. James and Mountain View

Towns like St. James

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