Union ranks #4 in Missouri for affordable rent
Union is ranked on 37 lists against the 261 Missouri towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 3.
The lists Union does best on
Each list ranks every MO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Union marked.
Union lands in the top half on 13 of 23 lists
Each dot is Union’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MO, the right end is last. Areas where Union does best come first.
Fewer seniors than 90% of Missouri
Not better or worse, just Union’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for affordable rent
Lists where Union sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Union 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.
Growth
Fastest growing#1 Cottleville · +82.5%
#21
G
Losing population#1 Grand River Township · −25.8%
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Osage Beach · 57.2%
#44
N
Most new homes#1 North Kansas City · 27.0 per 1,000
#20
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Versailles · +110.5%
#62
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Forsyth · 13.6 per home
#53 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pine Lawn · 0.9 yrs
#167
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $424/mo
#102
Lowest property tax#1 Mountain Grove · $438/yr
#159
Rent easiest to afford#1 De Soto · 20.3%
#4 Health
Healthiest#1 Ladue · 99 / 100
#95
Lowest obesity#1 Town and Country · 23%
#146
Fewest smokers#1 Town and Country · 7%
#89
Most active#1 Glendale · 16%
#85
Fewest uninsured#1 Ladue · 3%
#86
Lowest depression#1 Black Jack · 19%
#203
Closest to a top hospital#1 Branson · 0.0 mi
#103 People
Most educated#1 Glendale · 90.1%
#119
F
Youngest#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 20.5
#41
Oldest#1 Osage Beach · 59.4
#220
Most residents 65+#1 Forsyth · 36.4%
#235
Most kids#1 Glasgow Village · 40%
#51 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Clinton Township · 64.8%
#110
Most trails#1 Park Hills · 3.3 mi / sq mi
#116
Most walkable#1 Pine Lawn · 213 / sq mi
#141 
Getting around
F Shortest commute#1 Fort Leonard Wood · 9 min #179Safety
Safest#1 Odessa · 4.4
#117 Climate
U Snowiest#1 Union Township · 29 in #70
Least snow#1 Salem · 1.3 in
#190
Mildest winters#1 Caruthersville · 29.5°
#149
Hottest summers#1 Carl Junction · 90.4°
#51
U
Coolest summers#1 Union Township · 85.4°
#185
Longest growing season#1 Caruthersville · 230 days
#178
Wettest#1 Kennett · 51 in
#105 
The number on the right is Union’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.