Best PlacesGarwood, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Garwood, 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.
Garwood ranks 45,200th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Garwood
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.
Garwood's strengths and weaknesses
Where Garwood ranks high
- Cheap childcare$228 a month, better than 99% of towns
- Short commute10.7 minutes each way, better than 99% of towns
- Local economyBetter than 97% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than 94% of towns
- Air qualityBetter than 93% of towns
Where Garwood ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 1% of towns
- Household income$42,046 median, better than only 3% of towns
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of towns
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 5% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 58 pleasant days a year, better than only 6% of towns
Who lives in Garwood
Garwood runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65, 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 Garwood.
Who works in Garwood, and how
Work in Garwood centers on agriculture & forestry and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in Garwood
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Garwood.
What the weather is like in Garwood, month by month
Garwood sees roughly 58 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 36° | 29° |
| April | 71° | 59° | 49° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 74° | 60° | 50° |
Flying in and out of Garwood
The nearest airport, Cape Girardeau Regional, is about 82 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 128 miles away.
The best schools in and around Garwood
Schools across Garwood average a C−, better than 24% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- East Carter Co. R-ii Elem.B · 47% proficient
- Van Buren Elem.C · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Carter Co. R-ii MiddleC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- East Carter Co. R-ii HighC+ · 37% proficient
- Van Buren HighD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Garwood school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Garwood 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 Garwood against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Garwood
Is Garwood a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Garwood ranks 45,200th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and a strong job market, and lowest on health outcomes and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Garwood safe?
Garwood is safer than 16% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $551 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Garwood?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 46 with lows near 29. That works out to about 58 pleasant days a year, more than 6% of towns.
Compare Garwood with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Garwood. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Garwood 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.
Garwood detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Garwood: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Garwood: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Garwood: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Garwood: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Garwood 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.
- 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.