Belton ranks #23 in Missouri for new homes
Belton is ranked on 37 lists against the 261 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 1.
Cooler summers than 80% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Belton’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Belton out-ranks 2 of its 3 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Belton lands in the top half on 12 of 23 lists
Each dot is Belton’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Belton does best come first.
The lists Belton does best on
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Belton marked.
Where Belton lands in every MO ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Osage Beach · 57.2%
#106
N
Most new homes#1 North Kansas City · 27.0 per 1,000
#23
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Versailles · +110.5%
#110
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Forsyth · 13.6 per home
#59 
Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#106
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#179
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#101
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#85
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#131
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#92
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#106 Growth
Fastest growing#1 Cottleville · +82.5%
#102
G
Losing population#1 Grand River Township · −25.8%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Clinton Township · 64.8%
#74
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
#117
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#124 People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#107
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#96
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#165
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#198
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#114 Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
#93 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pine Lawn · 0.9 yrs
#163
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#216
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#171
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
#66 Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #187
Climate
U Snowiest#1 Union Township · 29 in #187
Least snow#1 Salem · 1.3 in
#67
Mildest winters#1 Caruthersville · 29.5°
#171
Hottest summers#1 Carl Junction · 90.4°
#188
U
Coolest summers#1 Union Township · 85.4°
#46
Longest growing season#1 Caruthersville · 230 days
#84
Wettest#1 Kennett · 51 in
#177 
The number on the right is Belton’s spot. All of Missouri’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every MO list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.