How Bethany compares across Missouri
Bethany is ranked on 35 lists against the 256 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 4.
More snow than 100% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Bethany’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Bethany lands in the top half on 9 of 22 lists
Each dot is Bethany’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Bethany does best come first.
Every MO list, and where Bethany lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pine Lawn · 0.9 yrs
#47
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#32
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#77
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #50
Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#156
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#119
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#101
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#152
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#86
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#92
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#183 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Park Hills · 63%
#178
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#152 People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#178
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#225
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#32
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#11
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#133 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Richmond Heights · 16.6 per resident
#44
N
Most library borrowing#1 North Kansas City · 30.2 per resident
#30
N
Best libraries for kids#1 North Kansas City · 61.4 per child
#44 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Osage Beach · 57.2%
#229
N
Most new homes#1 North Kansas City · 27.0 per 1,000
#154
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Versailles · +110.5%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Forsyth · 13.6 per home
Climate
U Snowiest#1 Union · 29 in #2
Least snow#1 Salem · 1.3 in
#253
Mildest winters#1 Caruthersville · 29.5°
#230
Hottest summers#1 Carl Junction · 90.4°
#227
U
Coolest summers#1 Union · 85.4°
#7
Longest growing season#1 Caruthersville · 230 days
#234
Wettest#1 Kennett · 51 in
#225 Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
The number on the right is Bethany’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.