Cole County, Missouri
Population 77,032 · Jefferson City, Wardsville, St. Martins
- Overall cost of living: −12% vs the US average, lower than 56% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- % Adults with a bachelor's degree: 38.9%, higher than 90% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−12% | lower than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Jefferson City, MO metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $229,600 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Median rent | $834 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $165/mo | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | N/A | |
| Property tax rate | 0.77% | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4.225% | lower than 78% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.95% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,769 | higher than 56% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $74,876 | higher than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +5.1% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 482 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈217 days | higher than 55% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 88°F | higher than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 22°F | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 9 in | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 37 days | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 106 days | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 5.6% of weeks | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈65.5°F | higher than 62% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 43.6 in | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $129/yr | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $97/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.03/yr | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $8.7/yr | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $9.9/yr | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $1.2/yr | higher than 59% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.1 µg/m³ | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 332.2 mi | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈354.5 ft | lower than 60% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 94.2% | higher than 85% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 38.9% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 14.1% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.1:1 | lower than 75% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 82.6% | lower than 82% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.92 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.81 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 73/100k | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.7★ | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 77.9 yrs | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.9% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 273/100k | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 65/100k | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 62.8% | lower than 52% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 41 min | lower than 75% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 136 min | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 18 min | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 89.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.5% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 9.2% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 143 min | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 41 per sq mi | higher than 71% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.6 per 1k | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 8.8 per 1k | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Population | 77,032 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.9 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +1.3 per 1k/yr | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 32.1% Dem | higher than 58% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 66.5% Rep | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.4% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % White | 79.2% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 3.6% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Black | 9.7% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.4% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.2% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 5.1% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.6% | higher than 78% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 39 parks | lower than 55% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 17.9 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.1 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 28 min | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.8% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 26 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 35 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 438 km | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 24 km | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 51 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 52 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 11 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 7 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 46 km | higher than 72% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data