Salem ranks #6 in Missouri for graduation rate
Salem is ranked on 39 lists against the 256 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 7.
Less snow than 100% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Salem’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Salem does best on
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Salem marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for cheap rent
Lists where Salem sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Salem lands in the top half on 11 of 25 lists
Each dot is Salem’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Salem does best come first.
Salem out-ranks 1 of its 2 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.
Where Salem 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
#35
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#11
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#22
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #17Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Park Hills · 63%
#139
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
#42
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#24 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Richmond Heights · 16.6 per resident
#14
N
Most library borrowing#1 North Kansas City · 30.2 per resident
#16
N
Best libraries for kids#1 North Kansas City · 61.4 per child
#23 Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#212
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#175
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#195
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#195
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#174
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#150
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#42 
Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
#84 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Osage Beach · 57.2%
#29
N
Most new homes#1 North Kansas City · 27.0 per 1,000
#157
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Versailles · +110.5%
#9
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Forsyth · 13.6 per home
The number on the right is Salem’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.