Best Places65201, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65201, 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.
65201 ranks 19,694th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 65201
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.
65201's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65201 ranks high
- Short commute16.5 minutes each way, better than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$520 a month, better than 93% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 92% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 65201 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Household income$55,279 median, better than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65201
A household needs to earn about $69,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65201 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $55,279, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 65201's effective rate of 0.81%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 65201
65201 runs younger than the country, 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 65201.
Who works in 65201, and how
Work in 65201 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 21%
Life in 65201
65201 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 82% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 95% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 65201 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 65201, month by month
65201 sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 31° | 22° |
| April | 71° | 56° | 44° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 68° |
| October | 73° | 58° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 65201
The nearest airport, Columbia Regional, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 105 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65201
Schools across 65201 average a C+, better than 46% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rock Bridge Elem.B · 46% proficient
- Locust St Expressive Arts ElemC+ · 37% proficient
- Hatton-mccredie Elem.C+ · 37% proficient
Top middle schools
- Jefferson Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Ann Hawkins Gentry MiddleB · 44% proficient
- Southern Boone MiddleC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Rock Bridge Sr. HighB+ · 51% proficient
- Southern Boone HighB− · 42% proficient
- David H. Hickman HighB− · 41% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 65201 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65201 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 65201 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 65201 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 65201
Is 65201 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65201 ranks 19,694th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, affordable childcare, and an educated workforce, and lowest on air quality and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 65201 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $264,982. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $55,279 median income, cost of living beats 20% of zip codes.
Is 65201 safe?
65201 is safer than 46% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $434 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 65201?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 22. That works out to about 65 pleasant days a year, more than 16% of zip codes.
Is 65201 good for families?
Schools beat 46% of zip codes, crime safety beats 46%, and childcare runs $520 a month.
Compare 65201 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65201. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65201 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.
65201 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65201: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65201: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65201: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65201: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65201 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.