10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Missouri For 2018

If you’re like the rest of us, you’re looking for the perfect place for your family. But you have a strict criteria; the city has to be safe, affordable, and stimulating. Basically, the place you move – or even visit – has to be outright perfect.

Is that attainable? Perhaps not, but we’ll get you as close as we can.

Promise.

According to the United States Census, the number of American families who move is trending downwards Why is that? Perhaps it has to do with the ‘safety net’ factor: We get comfortable where we live, and we’re afraid to try a new move. What if the schools are bad? What if it’s dangerous?

Well, we can pretty much guarantee that if you choose the cities we’re mentioning below, you won’t lose any sleep whatsoever.

So, where are the best cities for families in Missouri? We’ve got the answers here.

These are the best cities to raise a family in the Show Me State:

1. Jackson (Photos | Homes For Sale)
2. Moberly (Photos | Homes For Sale)
3. Webster Groves (Photos | Homes For Sale)
4. Maryville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
5. Washington (Photos | Homes For Sale)
6. Carthage (Photos | Homes For Sale)
7. Marshall (Photos | Homes For Sale)
8. Mexico (Photos | Homes For Sale)
9. Neosho (Photos | Homes For Sale)
10. Kirkwood (Photos | Homes For Sale)

If you’re thinking of making a move to Missouri, and want a family-friendly place, we’ve got you covered. And if you already have kids, we’re surprised you made it this far into the article and hope your little ones give you a couple of more minutes of free time.

Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out some more reading about Missouri and the best places for families in the country:

• Best Places To Live In Missouri
• Cheapest Places To Live In Missouri
• Best Cities To Raise A Family In America
• Best States To Raise A Family In America

How do you determine which place is best for families in Missouri anyways?

To give you the places in Missouri which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what’s family-friendly and what isn’t.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Show Me State

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Missouri, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

• Crime (Both violent and property)
• Quality of local schools
• Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
• % of households with children
• Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)

We then gave each city a Family Score.

The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 10,000 people. For Missouri, that meant a total of 71 cities.

Read on to see why Jackson is where all the families are headed, while Branson is probably a place made for singles.

Jackson is a city in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,758 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cape Girardeau County. It is a principal city of the Cape Girardeau-Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Moberly is a city in Randolph County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,974 at the 2010 census.

Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census.

Maryville is a city and county seat of Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,972. Maryville is home to Northwest Missouri State University, Northwest Technical School, and the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing.

Washington is a city on the Missouri River in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,892 from the 2010 census. It is the corncob pipe capital of the world, with Missouri Meerschaum located on the riverfront.

Carthage is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 14,378 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jasper County and is nicknamed “America’s Maple Leaf City.”

Marshall is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,065 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Saline County. The Marshall Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Saline County. It is home to Missouri Valley College.

Mexico, formerly known as New Mexico, is a city in Audrain County, Missouri. The population was 11,543 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat, home to the Missouri Military Academy, and annually hosts the Miss Missouri Pageant. The micropolitan statistical area consists of Audrain County.

Neosho residents. Neosho lies on the western edge of the Ozarks.

Kirkwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city’s population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named after James P. Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad through that town. It was the first planned suburb located west of the Mississippi River.

Load More Cities

There You Have It – The Best Places To Grow Up In Missouri

If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Missouri ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.

Here’s a look at the best cities for singles Missouri according to the data:

1. Branson
2. Raytown
3. Grandview

For more Missouri reading, check out:

• These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In Missouri For 2018
• These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Missouri
• 10 Safest Places In Missouri

Detailed List Of The Best Places For Families In Missouri

Rank	City	Population	Amenities Score
1	Jackson	14,641	65
2	Moberly	13,867	58
3	Webster Groves	23,111	47
4	Maryville	11,957	62
5	Washington	14,012	49
6	Carthage	14,247	64
7	Marshall	12,984	50
8	Mexico	11,622	57
9	Neosho	12,144	54
10	Kirkwood	27,614	43
11	Union	10,813	60
12	O’fallon	84,018	31
13	Eureka	10,497	55
14	Ballwin	30,431	50
15	Cameron	10,150	36
16	Ozark	18,867	62
17	Florissant	52,218	48
18	Harrisonville	10,002	55
19	St. Peters	55,820	42
20	Wentzville	34,176	32
21	Manchester	18,183	60
22	Kirksville	17,592	64
23	Town And Country	11,001	35
24	Lee’s Summit	94,257	58
25	West Plains	12,259	52
26	Chesterfield	47,717	59
27	Warrensburg	19,932	50
28	Rolla	19,904	37
29	Hannibal	17,707	47
30	Nixa	20,520	60
31	Lake St. Louis	15,150	36
32	Sikeston	16,464	45
33	Sedalia	21,441	50
34	Liberty	30,239	49
35	Crestwood	11,941	35
36	Troy	11,374	32
37	Creve Coeur	18,072	30
38	Poplar Bluff	17,198	42
39	Maryland Heights	27,359	41
40	Festus	11,929	58
41	Grain Valley	13,273	37
42	Lebanon	14,652	37
43	Ferguson	21,035	32
44	Columbia	117,165	81
45	Hazelwood	25,604	50
46	Raymore	20,107	41
47	Republic	15,766	54
48	Fulton	12,886	45
49	Arnold	21,196	49
50	Clayton	16,034	36
51	Farmington	17,881	35
52	Bolivar	10,592	45
53	Excelsior Springs	11,480	45
54	Kennett	10,500	61
55	Blue Springs	53,641	56
56	St. Charles	68,341	46
57	Joplin	51,231	68
58	Cape Girardeau	39,200	44
59	Independence	117,217	81
60	St. Ann	12,931	56
61	Bellefontaine Neighbors	10,785	41
62	Overland	15,932	58
63	Belton	23,236	39
64	Springfield	165,138	88
65	St. Louis	316,030	68
66	St. Joseph	76,901	42
67	Bridgeton	11,698	32
68	Gladstone	26,562	42
69	Grandview	25,126	35
70	Raytown	29,366	48
71	Branson	11,158	59