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Compare towns

Vanduser vs Middletown

175 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (4.3× in Vanduser) and average commute (24 min in Vanduser).

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Vanduser, MOKnown for its schoolsMissouri · 198 people
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Middletown, MOHomes around $330KMissouri · 248 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

VanduserKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 25%of MO districts All about Vanduser →
MiddletownHomes around $330K
Housing$330K typical home23% above the MO typical home All about Middletown →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Street grid4.3×
Vanduser has the more walkable street grid
Vanduser 271Middletown 62.8
Average commute24 min
Vanduser has the shorter commute
Middletown 42 minVanduser 18 min
Jobs per worker+58%
Vanduser is more of a job hub
Vanduser 0.30Middletown 0.19
Rent+12%
Rent runs higher in Vanduser
Vanduser $866Middletown $773
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,700 more a month in Middletown

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.

Vanduser$400/mo
Typical home $64K (Census) · tax rate 1.22% · or rent about $866/mo · Housing →
Middletown$2,100/mo
Typical home $330K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.33% · or rent about $773/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,700 a month, about $20,300 a year, between Middletown and Vanduser.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools
CVanduserBetter than 25% of districts in the state –MiddletownNot graded
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
VanduserMiddletown
Snow a year3″16″
January low28°F19°F
July high91°F86°F
Growing season (days)225d188d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)79th49th
Outdoors & history
VanduserMiddletown
Settled—1834
Community
VanduserMiddletown
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

175 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

VanduserMOMiddletownMO
Vanduser ↔ Middletown175 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.

VanduserMiddletown
People
Population 198Lowest 248Highest
Median age 29.9±13.3Highest 23% below MO 28.3±2.3Lowest 27% below MO
Vanduser and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 30.3%±6.3Lowest MO: 22.3% 30.6%±7Highest MO: 22.3%
Middletown and Vanduser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.7%±7.9Highest MO: 17.9% 6.9%±10.3Lowest MO: 17.9%
Vanduser and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 0%Lowest MO: 32.4% 2.7%Highest MO: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.5%±6.2Lowest MO: 5.7% 1.2%±5.1Highest MO: 5.7%
Middletown and Vanduser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $42,500±$11kLowest 40% below MO $50,625±$2kHighest 28% below MO
Middletown and Vanduser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $64,100±$16kLowest 72% below MO $65,000±$5kHighest 72% below MO
Middletown and Vanduser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $866±$34Highest 16% below MO $773±$26Lowest 25% below MO
Property taxmedian, yearly $780Lowest 60% below MO $862Highest 56% below MO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 4.8%±100Lowest MO: 45.6% 37%±53.5Highest MO: 45.6%
Middletown and Vanduser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 27.4%Highest MO: 12.6% 17.3%Lowest MO: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 62.9%Lowest MO: 68.1% 66.3%Highest MO: 68.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest 2 yrs older than MO 1973Lowest 5 yrs older than MO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 23% below MO 42 minHighest 79% above MO
Work from home 0%±19.4Lowest MO: 13% 9.4%±7.9Highest MO: 13%
Middletown and Vanduser are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 1.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 37.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.30Highest 0.19Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sikeston (41%)Montgomery City (10%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MiddletownFew work in Vanduser
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 271Highest 62.8Lowest
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.

Vanduser neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vanduser’s Town Square.

Middletown neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Middletown’s Town Square.

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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.

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