Best PlacesWest Central, Springfield, MO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Central, Springfield, 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.
West Central, Springfield ranks 5,705th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West Central, Springfield
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.
West Central, Springfield's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Central, Springfield ranks high
- Cheap childcare$664 a month, better than 97% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.5 minutes each way, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 67% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 65% of neighborhoods
Where West Central, Springfield ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Household income$37,661 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Central, Springfield
A household needs to earn about $24,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Central, Springfield home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $37,661, 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 West Central, Springfield's effective rate of 0.90%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in West Central, Springfield
West Central, Springfield 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 West Central, Springfield.
Who works in West Central, Springfield, and how
Work in West Central, Springfield centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in West Central, Springfield
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across West Central, Springfield.
What the weather is like in West Central, Springfield, month by month
West Central, Springfield 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 West Central, Springfield
The nearest airport, Springfield-Branson Ntl, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 164 miles away.
The best schools in and around West Central, Springfield
Schools across West Central, Springfield average a D, better than 17% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Weaver Elem.C+ · 37% proficient
- Rountree Elem.C− · 27% proficient
- Boyd Elem.D · 16% proficient
Top middle schools
- Jarrett MiddleC− · 30% proficient
- Pipkin MiddleD · 23% proficient
- Westport Middle SchoolD− · 19% proficient
Top high schools
- Central HighB · 47% proficient
- Parkview HighD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Central, Springfield school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Central, Springfield 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 West Central, Springfield against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in West Central, Springfield
Is West Central, Springfield a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Central, Springfield ranks 5,705th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and state finances, and lowest on distance from a big city and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Central, Springfield expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $90,288. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $37,661 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is West Central, Springfield safe?
West Central, Springfield is safer than 13% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $929 per resident a year.
Compare West Central, Springfield with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Central, Springfield. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Central, Springfield 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.
West Central, Springfield detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Central, Springfield: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Central, Springfield: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Central, Springfield: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Central, Springfield: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Central, Springfield 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.