Howell County, Missouri
Population 40,383 · West Plains, Mountain View, Willow Springs
- Overall cost of living: −16.1% vs the US average, lower than 89% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Median household income: $50,993, lower than 86% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−16.1% | lower than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Missouri outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $173,000 | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Median rent | $733 | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $172/mo | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | N/A | |
| Property tax rate | 0.5% | lower than 84% 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 | $872 | lower than 83% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $50,993 | lower than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -1% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 384.7 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈216 days | higher than 54% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 89°F | higher than 58% of US counties |
| January low | 24°F | higher than 51% 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) | 92 days | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 4.3% of weeks | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈66.2°F | higher than 68% 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 | 48.1 in | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $150/yr | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $88/yr | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.19/yr | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $29/yr | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $18/yr | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $1.5/yr | higher than 63% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.9 µg/m³ | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 421.9 mi | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈649.8 ft | higher than 66% 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 | 86.9% | lower than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 17.8% | lower than 73% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.7:1 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 94% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.45 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.83 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 6.5 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 89/100k | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2★ | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 73.3 yrs | lower than 73% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 12.6% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 272/100k | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 42/100k | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 62.5% | lower than 53% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 104 min | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 197 min | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 85.6% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.1% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 6% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 201 min | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 22 per sq mi | lower than 50% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.6 per 1k | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 9.9 per 1k | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Population | 40,383 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Median age | 40.3 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +8.6 per 1k/yr | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 16.2% Dem | lower than 86% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 83% Rep | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.8% | lower than 72% of US counties |
| % White | 91.5% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 2.6% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.5% | lower than 78% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.4% | lower than 64% 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 | 3.5% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 1.3% | higher than 97% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 49 parks | lower than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 17.3 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.7 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 11 min | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.1% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 6 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 28 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 171 km | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 7 km | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| 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 | 23 | higher 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 | 16 | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
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