Branson is #1 in Missouri for a top hospital nearby
Branson is ranked on 37 lists against the 256 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 9.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Branson marked.
More vacation homes than 100% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Branson’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Branson lands in the top half on 14 of 23 lists
Each dot is Branson’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Branson does best come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for conserved land
Lists where Branson sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Branson out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
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.
Every MO list, and where Branson lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Park Hills · 63%
#4
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
#22
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#190 
Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#134
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#68
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#101
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#138
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#174
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#51
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#1 Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #44Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Osage Beach · 57.2%
#2
N
Most new homes#1 North Kansas City · 27.0 per 1,000
#37
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Versailles · +110.5%
#38
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Forsyth · 13.6 per home
#39 
People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#96
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#152
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#102
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#18
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#184 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pine Lawn · 0.9 yrs
#197
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#124
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#137
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
#30 
Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
#142 
The number on the right is Branson’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.