Odessa is #1 in Missouri for safety
Odessa is ranked on 34 lists against the 256 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 7.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Odessa marked.
Odessa lands in the top half on 12 of 21 lists
Each dot is Odessa’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Odessa does best come first.
Drier than 84% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Odessa’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 3 for graduation rate
Lists where Odessa sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Odessa 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.
Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
#1 Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#61
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#52
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#66
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#61
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#61
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#92
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#147 
People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#83
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#167
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#90
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#99
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#105 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Osage Beach · 57.2%
#179
N
Most new homes#1 North Kansas City · 27.0 per 1,000
#80
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Versailles · +110.5%
#102
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Forsyth · 13.6 per home
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pine Lawn · 0.9 yrs
#191
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#160
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#161
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #179Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Park Hills · 63%
#201
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#175 
The number on the right is Odessa’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.