Best PlacesDeKalb County, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in DeKalb County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
DeKalb County ranks 1,779th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in DeKalb County
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.
DeKalb County's strengths and weaknesses
Where DeKalb County ranks high
- Cheap childcare$203 a month, better than 99% of counties
- Household income$75,976 median, better than 68% of counties
- State fiscal healthBetter than 65% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than 64% of counties
- Crime safetyBetter than 63% of counties
Where DeKalb County ranks low
- Short commute31.0 minutes each way, better than only 12% of counties
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 22% of counties
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 26% of counties
- Air qualityBetter than only 30% of counties
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 30% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in DeKalb County
A household needs to earn about $51,000 a year to comfortably buy the median DeKalb County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $75,976, 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 DeKalb County's effective rate of 0.63%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in DeKalb County
DeKalb County's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 DeKalb County.
Who works in DeKalb County, and how
Work in DeKalb County centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in DeKalb County
DeKalb County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties. That concentrates in some parts of DeKalb County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is DeKalb County growing, and who is moving in?
DeKalb County has lost about 21% of its population over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Kansas City, MO.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving DeKalb County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in DeKalb County, month by month
DeKalb County sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 28° | 20° |
| April | 68° | 54° | 43° |
| July | 88° | 78° | 68° |
| October | 70° | 56° | 45° |
Flying in and out of DeKalb County
Kansas City International sits about 41 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.7 million passengers in 2025, with 104 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around DeKalb County
Schools across DeKalb County average a B−, better than 60% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- East Buchanan Elem.B+ · 55% proficient
- Maysville Elem.B+ · 53% proficient
- Osborn Elem.B+ · 52% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Buchanan MiddleB · 47% proficient
- Cameron Veterans MiddleB · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Osborn HighB+ · 53% proficient
- East Buchanan HighB · 48% proficient
- Pattonsburg HighB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every DeKalb County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
DeKalb County 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 DeKalb County against the other 3,143 counties.
Common questions about living in DeKalb County
Is DeKalb County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, DeKalb County ranks 1,779th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on affordable childcare, high incomes, and state finances, and lowest on long commutes and car insurance costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is DeKalb County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $199,100. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $75,976 median income, cost of living beats 60% of counties.
Is DeKalb County safe?
Yes, DeKalb County is safer than 63% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $372 per resident a year.
Compare DeKalb County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to DeKalb County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in DeKalb County 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.
DeKalb County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for DeKalb County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in DeKalb County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of DeKalb County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in DeKalb County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
DeKalb County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.