Best Places65721, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65721, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
65721 ranks 9,711th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 65721
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.
65721's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65721 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$529 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 83% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 76% of zip codes
Where 65721 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 63 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65721
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65721 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $81,473, 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 65721's effective rate of 0.71%, 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 65721
65721 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 65721.
Who works in 65721, and how
Work in 65721 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 65721
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 65721.
What the weather is like in 65721, month by month
65721 sees roughly 63 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 34° | 23° |
| April | 71° | 57° | 44° |
| July | 92° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 74° | 59° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 65721
The nearest airport, Springfield-Branson Ntl, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 177 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65721
Schools across 65721 average a B+, better than 76% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- John Thomas School Of DiscoverA+ · 73% proficient
- East Elem.A · 70% proficient
- North Elem.A · 67% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ozark Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Summit Intermediate SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Cherokee MiddleA− · 54% proficient
Top high schools
- Nixa HighA · 70% proficient
- Ozark HighB+ · 53% proficient
- Kickapoo HighB · 49% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 65721 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65721 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 65721 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 65721 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 73% of zip codes and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 65721
Is 65721 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65721 ranks 9,711th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, low crime, and civic engagement, and lowest on the weather and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 65721 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $282,686. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $81,473 median income, cost of living beats 73% of zip codes.
Is 65721 safe?
Yes, 65721 is safer than 86% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $239 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 65721?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 47 with lows near 23. That works out to about 63 pleasant days a year, more than 13% of zip codes.
Is 65721 good for families?
Schools beat 76% of zip codes, crime safety beats 86%, and childcare runs $529 a month.
Compare 65721 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65721. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65721 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.
65721 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65721: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65721: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65721: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65721: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65721 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.