Best Places65803, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 65803, 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.
65803 ranks 26,026th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. Noise pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on short commutes.
The best neighborhoods in 65803
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.
65803's strengths and weaknesses
Where 65803 ranks high
- Short commute19.3 minutes each way, better than 87% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$664 a month, better than 79% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 78% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 77% of zip codes
Where 65803 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Household income$56,551 median, better than only 19% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 65803
A household needs to earn about $45,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 65803 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $56,551, 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 65803's effective rate of 0.74%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 65803
65803 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 65803.
Who works in 65803, and how
Work in 65803 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 65803
65803 has more late-night spots per resident than 80% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 65803 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 65803, month by month
65803 sees roughly 61 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 65803
The nearest airport, Springfield-Branson Ntl, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 161 miles away.
The best schools in and around 65803
Schools across 65803 average a C−, better than 28% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Willard East Elem.B+ · 55% proficient
- Strafford Elem.B+ · 55% proficient
- Willard Central Elem.B+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Willard Intermediate NorthB+ · 51% proficient
- Fair Grove MiddleB · 47% proficient
- Strafford MiddleB · 47% proficient
Top high schools
- Willard HighB · 50% proficient
- Strafford HighB · 48% proficient
- Central HighB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 65803 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
65803 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 65803 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 65803 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 9% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 65803
Is 65803 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 65803 ranks 26,026th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, biking, and affordable childcare, and lowest on noise and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 65803 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $173,853. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $56,551 median income, cost of living beats 28% of zip codes.
Is 65803 safe?
65803 is safer than 26% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $549 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 65803?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 47 with lows near 23. That works out to about 61 pleasant days a year, more than 10% of zip codes.
Is 65803 good for families?
Schools beat 28% of zip codes, crime safety beats 26%, and childcare runs $664 a month.
Compare 65803 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 65803. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 65803 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.
65803 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 65803: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 65803: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 65803: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 65803: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
65803 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.