Best Places65401, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65401, 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.
65401 ranks 18,780th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 65401
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.
65401's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65401 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$407 a month, better than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute16.2 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 76% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 65401 ranks low
- Household income$58,374 median, better than only 21% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65401
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65401 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $58,374, 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 65401's effective rate of 0.69%, 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 65401
65401 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 65401.
Who works in 65401, and how
Work in 65401 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in 65401
65401 has more parkland per resident than 91% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 70% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 65401 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 65401, month by month
65401 sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 42, 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 | 42° | 32° | 24° |
| April | 68° | 55° | 45° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 68° |
| October | 70° | 58° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 65401
The nearest airport, Waynesville-St Robert Regional Forney Field, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 94 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65401
Schools across 65401 average a B−, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mark Twain Elem.B+ · 55% proficient
- Lucy Wortham James Elem.B+ · 50% proficient
- Col. John B. Wyman Elem.B · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rolla MiddleB− · 41% proficient
- Rolla Jr. HighB− · 41% proficient
- St. James MiddleC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- St. James HighB · 50% proficient
- Rolla Sr. HighB− · 43% proficient
- Vienna HighC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 65401 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65401 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 65401 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 65401 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 8% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 65401
Is 65401 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65401 ranks 18,780th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and fast internet, and lowest on low incomes and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 65401 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $208,882. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $58,374 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 65401 safe?
65401 is safer than 43% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $430 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 65401?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 42 with lows near 24. That works out to about 76 pleasant days a year, more than 38% of zip codes.
Is 65401 good for families?
Schools beat 60% of zip codes, crime safety beats 43%, and childcare runs $407 a month.
Compare 65401 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65401. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65401 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.
65401 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65401: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65401: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65401: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65401: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65401 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.