Polk makes Missouri’s top 10 on 2 lists
Polk is ranked on 36 lists against the 256 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 4.
Colder winters than 100% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Polk’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Polk does best on
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Polk marked.
Polk lands in the top half on 10 of 22 lists
Each dot is Polk’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Polk does best come first.
2 spots from the top 3 for short commutes
Lists where Polk sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Polk out-ranks 0 of its 1 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 Polk lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #5
Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#84
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#68
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#66
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#73
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#61
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#199
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#193 People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#70
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#11
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#246
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#165
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#246 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pine Lawn · 0.9 yrs
#168
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#67
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#139
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
#60 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Osage Beach · 57.2%
#117
N
Most new homes#1 North Kansas City · 27.0 per 1,000
#101
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Versailles · +110.5%
#81
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Forsyth · 13.6 per home
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Park Hills · 63%
#215
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
#123
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#250 
Climate
U Snowiest#1 Union · 29 in #63
Least snow#1 Salem · 1.3 in
#191
Mildest winters#1 Caruthersville · 29.5°
#231
Hottest summers#1 Carl Junction · 90.4°
#231
U
Coolest summers#1 Union · 85.4°
#3
Longest growing season#1 Caruthersville · 230 days
#249
Wettest#1 Kennett · 51 in
#231 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 Polk’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.