The 10 Worst Small Towns In Missouri For 2024

Most Americans have never been to small town Missouri. However, as the Missourian who live there know, small town Missouri is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Missouri has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Show Me State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 228 of Missouri’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Missouri where you’d never want to live:

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Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

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These are the worst small towns in Missouri for 2024:

1. Granby
2. Malden
3. Ellington
4. Greenfield
5. Steelville
6. Carterville
7. Houston
8. Marble Hill
9. Steele
10. Senath

So what is the worst small town to call home in Missouri for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Granby is the worst small town to live in Missouri.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Granby home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Missouri or the worst places to live in Missouri.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Missouri For 2024

1. Granby

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,274
Median Home Value: $169,154
Median Income: $34,934
Unemployment Rate: 14.5%

2. Malden

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,790
Median Home Value: $77,596
Median Income: $35,451
Unemployment Rate: 7.5%

3. Ellington

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,302
Median Home Value: $160,381
Median Income: $40,000
Unemployment Rate: 26.2%

4. Greenfield

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,288
Median Home Value: $93,975
Median Income: $30,202
Unemployment Rate: 12.0%

5. Steelville

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 1,515
Median Home Value: $185,581
Median Income: $35,000
Unemployment Rate: 9.1%

6. Carterville

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,951
Median Home Value: $110,962
Median Income: $45,708
Unemployment Rate: 8.6%

7. Houston

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,416
Median Home Value: $163,677
Median Income: $40,893
Unemployment Rate: 9.2%

8. Marble Hill

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,854
Median Home Value: $111,164
Median Income: $29,615
Unemployment Rate: 7.9%

9. Steele

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,375
Median Home Value: $109,098
Median Income: $30,592
Unemployment Rate: 25.4%

10. Senath

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,597
Median Home Value: $71,615
Median Income: $40,000
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%

Next 10 Towns

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Missouri is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Missouri, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

• Population Density (The lower, the worse)
• Highest Unemployment Rates
• Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
• Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
• Education (Number of high school dropouts)
• High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 228 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Missouri.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Missouri

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Show Me State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

The worst small towns in Missouri are Granby, Malden, Ellington, Greenfield, Steelville, Carterville, Houston, Marble Hill, Steele, and Senath.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Missouri, according to science:

1. Marthasville (Pop. 2,616)
2. Weatherby Lake (Pop. 2,422)
3. Warson Woods (Pop. 2,107)

For more Missouri reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In Missouri

Rank	Town	Population	Unemployment Rate	Home Value	Median Income
1	Granby	2,274	14.5%	$169,154	$34,934
2	Malden	3,790	7.5%	$77,596	$35,451
3	Ellington	1,302	26.2%	$160,381	$40,000
4	Greenfield	1,288	12.0%	$93,975	$30,202
5	Steelville	1,515	9.1%	$185,581	$35,000
6	Carterville	1,951	8.6%	$110,962	$45,708
7	Houston	2,416	9.2%	$163,677	$40,893
8	Marble Hill	1,854	7.9%	$111,164	$29,615
9	Steele	1,375	25.4%	$109,098	$30,592
10	Senath	1,597	4.9%	$71,615	$40,000
11	Pine Lawn	2,772	16.2%	$43,788	$25,164
12	Licking	2,784	12.9%	$176,557	$32,202
13	Noel	1,930	6.6%	$144,261	$42,292
14	Hayti	2,367	12.5%	$73,895	$22,202
15	Clarkton	1,094	2.6%	$58,878	$39,219
16	Piedmont	2,739	5.8%	$107,007	$35,341
17	Rich Hill	1,384	5.1%	$111,643	$43,205
18	Leadwood	1,475	6.8%	$65,471	$45,000
19	Charleston	4,683	7.9%	$83,017	$29,306
20	Mansfield	1,351	6.0%	$185,108	$30,870
21	Bloomfield	2,172	8.1%	$124,665	$42,446
22	Willow Springs	2,125	9.0%	$177,780	$39,654
23	Humansville	1,256	10.1%	$156,003	$35,278
24	East Prairie	2,969	6.0%	$97,359	$28,300
25	Campbell	1,639	8.0%	$72,028	$45,577
26	Cabool	2,543	2.4%	$175,825	$33,429
27	Lamar	4,298	9.7%	$170,505	$32,907
28	Thayer	2,111	4.2%	$131,626	$35,357
29	Pierce City	1,373	4.7%	$116,023	$45,341
30	Canton	2,733	11.1%	$152,790	$42,708
31	Bel-Ridge	2,687	18.3%	$64,904	$38,642
32	Sarcoxie	1,464	9.2%	$233,777	$36,908
33	Pagedale	2,592	4.1%	$55,926	$29,112
34	Duenweg	1,604	2.8%	$119,067	$46,917
35	Purdy	1,374	14.6%	$176,995	$38,523
36	Anderson	2,561	2.6%	$123,077	$47,500
37	Mountain View	2,558	2.6%	$183,388	$43,611
38	Flordell Hills	1,448	31.7%	$47,172	$32,906
39	Butler	4,541	14.7%	$131,610	$33,548
40	Breckenridge Hills	4,452	8.2%	$93,755	$49,198
41	Van Buren	1,125	0.3%	$174,709	$22,143
42	Castle Point	2,940	6.5%	$61,239	$34,190
43	Doniphan	2,138	6.0%	$141,503	$41,927
44	Riverview	2,912	7.3%	$57,782	$48,194
45	Portageville	2,918	4.5%	$100,045	$34,105
46	Edina	1,379	3.4%	$115,447	$40,714
47	Osage Beach	4,736	10.6%	$340,267	$51,600
48	Sugar Creek	3,247	5.8%	$149,731	$55,201
49	Oran	1,150	7.8%	$133,060	$51,250
50	Osceola	1,071	5.4%	$94,730	$37,083
51	Bernie	1,916	2.1%	$94,973	$41,477
52	Richland	2,307	6.1%	$176,571	$42,561
53	Stockton	1,932	8.6%	$224,992	$37,868
54	Sweet Springs	1,258	6.6%	$124,667	$46,974
55	Versailles	2,549	5.6%	$209,867	$27,202
56	Ironton	1,639	5.4%	$104,963	$43,606
57	Wellsville	1,177	4.5%	$141,107	$57,708
58	Crane	1,470	4.3%	$137,954	$45,234
59	El Dorado Springs	3,531	3.7%	$144,743	$33,173
60	Wellston	1,913	3.0%	$48,994	$35,278
61	Country Club Hills	1,201	10.4%	$52,131	$46,357
62	Vinita Park	1,857	9.9%	$83,682	$50,964
63	Louisiana	3,249	6.2%	$117,385	$48,410
64	Grant City	1,004	1.2%	$80,570	$36,429
65	Hillsdale	1,070	3.1%	$38,425	$35,735
66	Ava	2,933	8.5%	$205,152	$43,969
67	Cool Valley	1,175	4.2%	$98,069	$49,792
68	Salem	4,673	7.0%	$169,903	$35,413
69	Adrian	2,021	11.3%	$217,603	$46,957
70	Gallatin	1,747	4.7%	$224,189	$39,500
71	Elsberry	1,975	5.3%	$157,816	$43,333
72	New Franklin	1,057	2.2%	$169,133	$47,768
73	Warsaw	2,326	3.9%	$163,827	$35,167
74	Potosi	2,559	2.3%	$161,769	$39,676
75	La Plata	1,265	6.3%	$100,252	$44,286
76	Albany	1,859	3.0%	$90,948	$46,033
77	Claycomo	1,815	6.1%	$203,239	$46,890
78	Marceline	2,190	4.5%	$116,921	$47,596
79	St. Clair	4,771	6.7%	$187,263	$37,764
80	Kahoka	2,134	6.4%	$111,825	$41,250
81	Hanley Hills	1,612	6.3%	$71,408	$47,083
82	Vandalia	3,382	3.3%	$92,803	$43,654
83	Seymour	1,932	4.5%	$226,096	$50,194
84	Edmundson	1,224	1.7%	$111,742	$45,313
85	Slater	1,987	2.8%	$93,145	$33,088
86	New Madrid	2,761	2.3%	$99,361	$42,443
87	Camdenton	3,979	1.5%	$300,091	$45,833
88	Marionville	2,551	9.9%	$170,322	$47,557
89	Bismarck	1,617	3.9%	$135,573	$42,188
90	Moline Acres	2,815	15.0%	$76,203	$50,352
91	Riverside	4,017	4.6%	$377,596	$47,668
92	Buffalo	3,319	2.8%	$189,496	$27,332
93	Highlandville	1,039	6.9%	$301,102	$46,667
94	Bowling Green	4,149	8.1%	$180,448	$44,338
95	La Monte	1,029	2.6%	$193,968	$60,474
96	Normandy	4,301	7.8%	$76,046	$28,774
97	Windsor	3,002	3.4%	$148,067	$50,592
98	Holden	1,840	5.4%	$155,688	$58,661
99	Mountain Grove	4,498	0.8%	$164,747	$38,103
100	Owensville	2,800	2.7%	$192,848	$47,207