Best Places65109, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65109, 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.
65109 ranks 10,592nd 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 65109
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.
65109's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65109 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$356 a month, better than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute15.6 minutes each way, better than 96% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 65109 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 34% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65109
A household needs to earn about $60,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65109 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $79,173, 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 65109's effective rate of 0.78%, 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 65109
65109'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 65109.
Who works in 65109, and how
Work in 65109 centers on public administration and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 65109
65109 has more parkland per resident than 78% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 65109 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 65109, month by month
65109 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 65109
The nearest airport, Columbia Regional, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 102 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65109
Schools across 65109 average a B−, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cole Co. R-i Elem.B · 47% proficient
- Pioneer Trail ElementaryB · 46% proficient
- Belair Elem.B · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Thomas Jefferson MiddleB− · 40% proficient
- Lewis And Clark MiddleC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Jefferson City HighB+ · 52% proficient
- Capital City High SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Jamestown C-i HighC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 65109 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65109 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 65109 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 65109 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 73% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 11% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 56% of zip codes and health care access beats 81%.
Common questions about living in 65109
Is 65109 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65109 ranks 10,592nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and an educated workforce, 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 65109 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $228,435. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $79,173 median income, cost of living beats 73% of zip codes.
Is 65109 safe?
Yes, 65109 is safer than 57% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $403 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 65109?
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 65109 good for families?
Schools beat 60% of zip codes, crime safety beats 57%, and childcare runs $356 a month.
Compare 65109 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65109. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65109 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.
65109 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65109: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65109: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65109: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65109: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65109 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.