How Ferguson compares across Missouri
Ferguson is ranked on 39 lists against the 256 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 5.
The lists Ferguson does best on
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Ferguson marked.
Ferguson lands in the top half on 8 of 25 lists
Each dot is Ferguson’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Ferguson does best come first.
Longer growing season than 93% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Ferguson’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for low depression
Lists where Ferguson sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Ferguson out-ranks 2 of its 5 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.
Every MO list, and where Ferguson lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#229
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#223
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#208
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#220
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#174
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#28
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#44 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Park Hills · 63%
#94
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
#115
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#42 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pine Lawn · 0.9 yrs
#30
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#174
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#145
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#138
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#53
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#205
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#203
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#58 Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #170Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Richmond Heights · 16.6 per resident
#23
N
Most library borrowing#1 North Kansas City · 30.2 per resident
#45
N
Best libraries for kids#1 North Kansas City · 61.4 per child
#47 
Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
#144 
The number on the right is Ferguson’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.