Best Places65708, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65708, 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.
65708 ranks 25,162nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 65708
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.
65708's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65708 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$413 a month, better than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute19.8 minutes each way, better than 86% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 65708 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Household income$55,636 median, better than only 18% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65708
A household needs to earn about $51,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65708 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $55,636, 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 65708's effective rate of 0.60%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 65708
65708 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 65708.
Who works in 65708, and how
Work in 65708 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 65708
65708 has more parkland per resident than 80% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 65708 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 65708, month by month
65708 sees roughly 76 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° | 35° | 28° |
| April | 68° | 56° | 47° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 65708
The nearest airport, Joplin Regional, is about 36 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 170 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65708
Schools across 65708 average a C, better than 39% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mt. Vernon IntermediateB · 47% proficient
- Monett IntermediateC+ · 37% proficient
- Wheaton Elem.C− · 29% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mt. Vernon MiddleB− · 41% proficient
- Monett MiddleC+ · 39% proficient
- Pierce City MiddleC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- Pierce City HighB− · 40% proficient
- Monett HighC+ · 37% proficient
- Mt. Vernon HighC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 65708 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65708 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 65708 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 65708
Is 65708 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65708 ranks 25,162nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and walkability, and lowest on education levels and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 65708 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $200,799. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $55,636 median income, cost of living beats 28% of zip codes.
Is 65708 safe?
65708 is safer than 24% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $584 per resident a year.
Compare 65708 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65708. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65708 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.
65708 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65708: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65708: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65708: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65708: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65708 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.