Best Places65101, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65101, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
65101 ranks 12,446th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 65101
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.
65101's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65101 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$357 a month, better than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute19.7 minutes each way, better than 86% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 79% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 74% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 65101 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 38% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65101
A household needs to earn about $63,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65101 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $86,488, 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 65101's effective rate of 0.71%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 65101
65101's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 65101.
Who works in 65101, and how
Work in 65101 centers on public administration and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 65101
65101 has more parkland per resident than 85% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 65101 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 65101, month by month
65101 sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 25° |
| April | 71° | 57° | 46° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 72° | 59° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 65101
The nearest airport, Columbia Regional, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 97 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65101
Schools across 65101 average a B−, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Blair Oaks Elem.A+ · 73% proficient
- Fatima Elem.B+ · 52% proficient
- North Elem.B · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Blair Oaks Middle SchoolA · 65% proficient
- Thomas Jefferson MiddleB− · 40% proficient
- Lewis And Clark MiddleC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Blair Oaks HighB+ · 57% proficient
- Jefferson City HighB+ · 52% proficient
- Fatima HighC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 65101 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65101 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 65101 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 65101 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of zip codes and 8% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 65101
Is 65101 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65101 ranks 12,446th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and what local pay buys, and lowest on air quality and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 65101 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $243,500. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $86,488 median income, cost of living beats 79% of zip codes.
Is 65101 safe?
65101 is safer than 43% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $499 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 65101?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 25. That works out to about 91 pleasant days a year, more than 56% of zip codes.
Is 65101 good for families?
Schools beat 60% of zip codes, crime safety beats 43%, and childcare runs $357 a month.
Compare 65101 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65101. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65101 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.
65101 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65101: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65101: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65101: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65101: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65101 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.