Best Places65611, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65611, 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.
65611 ranks 24,016th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 65611
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.
65611's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65611 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$434 a month, better than 98% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 65611 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65611
A household needs to earn about $63,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65611 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $58,845; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 65611's effective rate of 0.48%, 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 65611
65611 runs older 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 65611.
Who works in 65611, and how
Work in 65611 centers on construction and mining & oil & gas. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 65611
65611 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 94% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 65611 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 65611, month by month
65611 sees roughly 75 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 36° | 28° |
| April | 69° | 58° | 48° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 71° | 60° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 65611
The nearest airport, Branson, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 204 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65611
Schools across 65611 average a B−, better than 56% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Blue Eye Elem.B− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hollister MiddleB− · 40% proficient
- Blue Eye MiddleC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- Blue Eye HighB · 47% proficient
- Hollister HighB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 65611 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65611 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 65611 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 65611
Is 65611 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65611 ranks 24,016th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, health care access, and civic engagement, and lowest on biking and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 65611 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $250,046. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $58,845 median income, cost of living beats 38% of zip codes.
Is 65611 safe?
65611 is safer than 29% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $479 per resident a year.
Compare 65611 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65611. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65611 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.
65611 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65611: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65611: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65611: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65611: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65611 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.