Best Places63534, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 63534, 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.
63534 ranks 26,453rd 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 63534
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.
63534's strengths and weaknesses
Where 63534 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$412 a month, better than 99% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Short commute22.1 minutes each way, better than 75% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 74% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 68% of zip codes
Where 63534 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Household income$52,047 median, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 63534
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 63534 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,047, 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 63534's effective rate of 0.70%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 63534
63534 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 63534.
Who works in 63534, and how
Work in 63534 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 63534
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 63534.
What the weather is like in 63534, month by month
63534 sees roughly 88 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 63534
The nearest airport, Kirksville Regional, is about 24 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 115 miles away.
The best schools in and around 63534
Schools across 63534 average a C+, better than 40% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Atlanta Elem.A · 65% proficient
- Westran Elem.B+ · 53% proficient
- Macon ElementaryB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Macon Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Westran MiddleB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Macon Co. HighB+ · 55% proficient
- Macon Senior HighB− · 45% proficient
- Salisbury HighB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 63534 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
63534 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 63534 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 63534
Is 63534 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 63534 ranks 26,453rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, a strong job market, and short commutes, and lowest on biking and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 63534 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $125,950. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $52,047 median income, cost of living beats 22% of zip codes.
Is 63534 safe?
63534 is safer than 34% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $455 per resident a year.
Compare 63534 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 63534. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 63534 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.
63534 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 63534: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 63534: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 63534: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 63534: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
63534 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.