Best Places63531, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 63531, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
63531 ranks 30,593rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 63531
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
63531's strengths and weaknesses
Where 63531 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$402 a month, better than 99% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 74% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 68% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 68% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 60% of zip codes
Where 63531 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 63531
A household needs to earn about $28,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 63531 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $59,076, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 63531's effective rate of 0.64%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 63531
63531 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 63531.
Who works in 63531, and how
Work in 63531 centers on retail trade and education. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 63531
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 63531.
What the weather is like in 63531, month by month
63531 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 26° | 19° |
| April | 65° | 52° | 41° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 68° | 55° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 63531
The nearest airport, Kirksville Regional, is about 21 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 146 miles away.
The best schools in and around 63531
Schools across 63531 average a B−, better than 52% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Knox Co. Elem.C+ · 37% proficient
- Scotland Co. Elem.C− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Adair Co. HighB− · 44% proficient
- Scotland Co. HighC+ · 40% proficient
- Highland Jr.-sr. HighC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 63531 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
63531 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 63531 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 63531
Is 63531 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 63531 ranks 30,593rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, state finances, and a stable housing market, and lowest on biking and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 63531 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $108,558. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $59,076 median income, cost of living beats 35% of zip codes.
Is 63531 safe?
63531 is safer than 11% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $684 per resident a year.
Compare 63531 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 63531. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 63531 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
63531 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 63531: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 63531: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 63531: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 63531: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
63531 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.