De Soto is #1 in Missouri for affordable rent
De Soto is ranked on 38 lists against the 256 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 4.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with De Soto marked.
De Soto lands in the top half on 10 of 25 lists
Each dot is De Soto’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where De Soto does best come first.
Younger than 93% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just De Soto’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 10 for library visits
Lists where De Soto sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where De Soto 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.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pine Lawn · 0.9 yrs
#103
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#77
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#88
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
#1 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Richmond Heights · 16.6 per resident
#11
N
Most library borrowing#1 North Kansas City · 30.2 per resident
#24
N
Best libraries for kids#1 North Kansas City · 61.4 per child
#28 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Park Hills · 63%
#137
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#48 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Osage Beach · 57.2%
#172
N
Most new homes#1 North Kansas City · 27.0 per 1,000
#95
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Versailles · +110.5%
#151
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Forsyth · 13.6 per home
Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#234
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#238
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#240
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#220
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#174
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#199
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#133 
Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
#130 People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#237
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#18
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#239
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#130
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#45 Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #255
The number on the right is De Soto’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.