Best Places65203, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65203, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
65203 ranks 3,953rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on an educated workforce by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 65203
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.
65203's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65203 ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$520 a month, better than 93% of zip codes
- Short commute17.7 minutes each way, better than 92% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 65203 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 17% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65203
A household needs to earn about $90,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65203 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $100,008, 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 65203's effective rate of 0.86%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 65203
65203 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 65203.
Who works in 65203, and how
Work in 65203 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 65203
65203 has more parkland per resident than 85% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 70% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 65203 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 65203, month by month
65203 sees roughly 66 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 65203
The nearest airport, Columbia Regional, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 108 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65203
Schools across 65203 average a B−, better than 55% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mill Creek Elem.A− · 61% proficient
- Beulah Ralph ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
- Midway Heights Elem.B+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- John Warner Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Jefferson Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Ann Hawkins Gentry MiddleB · 44% 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 65203 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65203 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 65203 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 65203 suits
Families
Schools land around the 55th percentile and crime safety beats 79%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 90% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 65203
Is 65203 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65203 ranks 3,953rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on an educated workforce, affordable childcare, and short commutes, and lowest on air quality and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 65203 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $341,216. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $100,008 median income, cost of living beats 90% of zip codes.
Is 65203 safe?
Yes, 65203 is safer than 79% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $298 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 65203?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 22. That works out to about 66 pleasant days a year, more than 17% of zip codes.
Is 65203 good for families?
Schools beat 55% of zip codes, crime safety beats 79%, and childcare runs $520 a month.
Compare 65203 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65203. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65203 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.
65203 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65203: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65203: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65203: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65203: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65203 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.