Best Places65351, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65351, 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.
65351 ranks 22,737th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 65351
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.
65351's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65351 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$420 a month, better than 98% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 75% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 74% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 70% of zip codes
Where 65351 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 11% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65351
A household needs to earn about $36,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65351 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $68,315, 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 65351's effective rate of 0.62%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 65351
65351's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 65351.
Who works in 65351, and how
Work in 65351 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 65351
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 65351.
What the weather is like in 65351, month by month
65351 sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 30° | 24° |
| April | 67° | 55° | 46° |
| July | 87° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 65351
The nearest airport, Columbia Regional, is about 65 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 74 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65351
Schools across 65351 average a C, better than 33% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sweet Springs Elem.B · 48% proficient
- Santa Fe Elem.C · 34% proficient
- Northwest Elem.D+ · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- Northwest HighB− · 43% proficient
- Malta Bend High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Santa Fe HighC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 65351 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65351 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 65351 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 65351
Is 65351 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65351 ranks 22,737th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, low disaster risk, and walkability, and lowest on internet speeds and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 65351 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $142,533. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $68,315 median income, cost of living beats 52% of zip codes.
Is 65351 safe?
65351 is safer than 27% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $475 per resident a year.
Compare 65351 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65351. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65351 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.
65351 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65351: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65351: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65351: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65351: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65351 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.