Licking makes Missouri’s top 10 on 2 lists
Licking is ranked on 26 lists against the 256 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 6.
Fewer kids than 96% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Licking’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Licking does best on
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Licking marked.
Licking lands in the top half on 7 of 17 lists
Each dot is Licking’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Licking does best come first.
3 spots from the top 3 for graduation rate
Lists where Licking sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every MO list, and where Licking 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
#38
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#17
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#10
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #47Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#239
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#247
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#251
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#230
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#253
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#28
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#157 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Park Hills · 63%
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#138 
People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#255
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#121
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#137
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#205
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#245 Climate
U Snowiest#1 Union · 29 in #115
Least snow#1 Salem · 1.3 in
#136
Mildest winters#1 Caruthersville · 29.5°
Hottest summers#1 Carl Junction · 90.4°
U
Coolest summers#1 Union · 85.4°
Longest growing season#1 Caruthersville · 230 days
#243
Wettest#1 Kennett · 51 in
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Osage Beach · 57.2%
#236
N
Most new homes#1 North Kansas City · 27.0 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Versailles · +110.5%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Forsyth · 13.6 per home
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Richmond Heights · 16.6 per resident
N
Most library borrowing#1 North Kansas City · 30.2 per resident
N
Best libraries for kids#1 North Kansas City · 61.4 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
The number on the right is Licking’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.