Best PlacesSouth Gifford, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Gifford, 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.
South Gifford ranks 36,044th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Gifford
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.
South Gifford's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Gifford ranks high
- Cheap childcare$404 a month, better than 98% of towns
- Local economyBetter than 92% of towns
- Short commute22.0 minutes each way, better than 80% of towns
- State fiscal healthBetter than 73% of towns
- Air qualityBetter than 67% of towns
Where South Gifford ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 5% of towns
- Low vacancyBetter than only 10% of towns
- Big-city accessBetter than only 14% of towns
- Internet speedBetter than only 15% of towns
- QuietBetter than only 16% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in South Gifford
A household needs to earn about $46,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Gifford home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $71,203, 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 South Gifford's effective rate of 0.62%, 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 South Gifford
South Gifford's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Gifford.
Who works in South Gifford, and how
Work in South Gifford centers on agriculture & forestry and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in South Gifford
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across South Gifford.
What the weather is like in South Gifford, month by month
South Gifford sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 26° | 19° |
| April | 65° | 52° | 41° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 68° | 55° | 45° |
Flying in and out of South Gifford
The nearest airport, Kirksville Regional, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 120 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Gifford
Schools across South Gifford average a B−, better than 52% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Atlanta Elem.A · 65% proficient
- La Plata Elem.C+ · 39% proficient
- Macon Co. Elem.C · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- William Matthew Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- Macon Co. HighB+ · 55% proficient
- Kirksville Sr. HighB− · 42% proficient
- Atlanta HighC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Gifford school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Gifford 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 South Gifford against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in South Gifford
Is South Gifford a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Gifford ranks 36,044th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on affordable childcare, a strong job market, and short commutes, and lowest on cell coverage and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Gifford expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $180,711. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $71,203 median income, cost of living beats 54% of towns.
Is South Gifford safe?
South Gifford is safer than 26% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $472 per resident a year.
Compare South Gifford with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Gifford. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Gifford 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.
South Gifford detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Gifford: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Gifford: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Gifford: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Gifford: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Gifford 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.