Centralia makes Missouri’s top 10 on 3 lists
Centralia is ranked on 37 lists against the 256 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 3 and the top quarter on 8.
The lists Centralia does best on
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Centralia marked.
2 spots from the top 25 for cheap rent
Lists where Centralia sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Centralia lands in the top half on 20 of 24 lists
Each dot is Centralia’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Centralia does best come first.
Cooler summers than 94% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Centralia’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Every MO list, and where Centralia lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
#19 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Richmond Heights · 16.6 per resident
#9
N
Most library borrowing#1 North Kansas City · 30.2 per resident
#7
N
Best libraries for kids#1 North Kansas City · 61.4 per child
#14 
Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#82
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#38
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#89
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#85
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#86
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#92
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#155 People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#71
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#180
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#78
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#54
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#173 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pine Lawn · 0.9 yrs
#125
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#27
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#128
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Park Hills · 63%
#103
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
#95
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#46 Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #106
The number on the right is Centralia’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.