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Compare towns

Willard vs Peculiar

115 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+78% in Peculiar) and home values (+33% in Peculiar).

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Willard, MOKnown for its schoolsMissouri · 6,488 people
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Peculiar, MOHomes around $361KMissouri · 5,958 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.

WillardKnown for its schools
Schools#83 for schools in MOof 226 towns Housing$274K typical home2% above the MO typical home HealthHealthier than 62%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Willard →
PeculiarHomes around $361K
Housing$361K typical home35% above the MO typical home HealthHealthier than 60%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 68%of MO districts All about Peculiar →
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.

Property tax bill+78%
Tax bills are bigger in Peculiar
Peculiar $3,042Willard $1,713
Home values+33%
Homes cost more in Peculiar
Peculiar $283,900Willard $212,900
Street grid+51%
Willard has the more walkable street grid
Willard 46.7Peculiar 30.9
Bachelor’s degree++8.1 pts
More adults in Willard have a degree
Willard 33.1%Peculiar 25%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $590 more a month in Peculiar

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.

Willard$1,620/mo
Typical home $274K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.80% · or rent about $984/mo · Housing →
Peculiar$2,210/mo
Typical home $361K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.07% · or rent about $1,275/mo · Housing →

The difference: $590 a month, about $7,100 a year, between Peculiar and Willard.

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

Willard places higher on 13 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+WillardSafer than 67% of U.S. towns BPeculiarSafer than 56% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−WillardBetter than 79% of districts in the state B+PeculiarBetter than 68% of districts in the state
Health
BWillardHealthier than 62% of U.S. towns BPeculiarHealthier than 60% of U.S. towns
13Willard
6Peculiar

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

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 261 towns #245#99 Highest graduation rateSchools · 216 towns #6#84 Cheapest rentCost of living · 256 towns #144#213 Lowest property taxCost of living · 259 towns #152#210 Most remote workersWork · 255 towns #64#8 Shortest commuteGetting around · 261 towns #160#207 Most affordableCost of living · 260 towns #174#215 Most educatedPeople · 261 towns #73#114

Left end = #1 in Missouri. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Willard’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
WillardPeculiar
Snow a year14″17″
January low24°F21°F
July high90°F88°F
Growing season (days)199d204d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)44th54th
Outdoors & history
WillardPeculiar
Trails0 mi1 mi
Conserved land1%1.3%
Settled18841868
Archive photos—2
Famous people born here25
Community
WillardPeculiar
Library hours a week48 hrs—
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

115 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WillardMOPeculiarMO
Willard ↔ Peculiar115 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.

WillardPeculiar
People
Population 6,488Highest 5,958Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +20%Lowest MO: +2.8% +22%Highest MO: +2.8%
Median age 32.2±5.9Highest 17% below MO 32.1±3.4Lowest 18% below MO
Willard and Peculiar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 32.8%±6.5Highest MO: 22.3% 31.5%±5.8Lowest MO: 22.3%
Willard and Peculiar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.3%±2.5Lowest MO: 17.9% 13.9%±3.4Highest MO: 17.9%
Peculiar and Willard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.1%Highest MO: 32.4% 25%Lowest MO: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.2%±1.5Lowest MO: 5.7% 2.9%±1.7Highest MO: 5.7%
Peculiar and Willard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $84,600±$11kLowest 20% above MO $94,519±$23kHighest 34% above MO
Peculiar and Willard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $212,900±$19kLowest 8% below MO $283,900±$30kHighest 23% above MO
Rentmedian gross, monthly $984±$170Lowest 5% below MO $1,275±$181Highest 23% above MO
Peculiar and Willard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,713Lowest 12% below MO $3,042Highest 56% above MO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 27.3%±12.9Lowest MO: 45.6% 50.4%±25.7Highest MO: 45.6%
Peculiar and Willard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.7%Highest MO: 12.6% 4.9%Lowest MO: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 70.2%Lowest MO: 68.1% 73.8%Highest MO: 68.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1998Highest 20 yrs newer than MO 1996Lowest 18 yrs newer than MO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest about the MO average 26 minHighest 11% above MO
Work from home 14.7%±5.5Lowest MO: 13% 25.1%±7.6Highest MO: 13%
Peculiar and Willard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 7.5%Highest 4.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.8 miLowest 17.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.47Highest 0.44Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Springfield (58%)Kansas City (26%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PeculiarFew work in Willard
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1%Lowest 1.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 46.7Highest 30.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #83 of 226 in MO#116 of 226 in MO
School district WILLARD R-IIRAYMORE-PECULIAR R-II
High school in town Willard HighRaymore-Peculiar SR. High
Students per teacherat that high school 15.7Highest 15.1Lowest
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.

Willard neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Willard’s Town Square.

Peculiar neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Peculiar’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Willard and Peculiar

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Bordering Willard

+ Compare
Springfield169,954 people · $178K homes

Towns like Willard

P
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Pleasant Hill8,847 people · $278K homes
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St. Robert5,356 people · $225K homes
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Waynesville5,442 people · $200K homes
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Holts Summit4,609 people · $192K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Missouri towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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