Living in Branson, Missouri: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 16.1% below the U.S. average in the parts of Missouri outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood51 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 3.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 35.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town8 public schools: 3 elementary, 3 middle, 1 high school and 1 other.
A hospital close byCox Medical Center Branson is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityTulsa is about 149 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Branson meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 1 in 3 homes is a vacation or seasonal home, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $251,000U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 17%Taney County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $961 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $51,978U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 48%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,571 a yearMissouri: $1,948
Homes built before 1940: 1%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 15%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 32%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 83.9U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Missouri outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 17% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Missouri outside metro areas, not Branson alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 12,9212020: 12,649
Median age: 39.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 25%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 21%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 28%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 8%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (29%); schools, health care and social services (17%); retail (13%)
Unemployment rate: 6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 18 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 8%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 20%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Cox Medical Center Branson, Branson, MO, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

8 public schools in Branson, run by Branson R-IV and Forsyth R-III.

Colleges in or next to town: College of the Ozarks (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Missouri's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 64%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 84%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 27°F
July average high: 88°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 49 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 86 a year
Rain and melted snow: 45.7 inches a year
Snow: 7 inches a year
Elevation: 931 feet

Weather stations: Branson Ap (7 miles away) and Ozark Beach (11 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Springfield, MOCity of 170,00040

Tulsa, OKMetro of 1.1 million149

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Springfield, Tulsa.

Taney County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Branson City Park Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield33 miles
Buffalo National River35 miles
Pea Ridge National Military Park41 miles

Campus life. Check College of the Ozarks's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Branson's history on Wikipedia.

Know Branson?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Hollister, MO4,700 people, 3 miles
Kimberling City, MO2,300 people, 8 miles
Merriam Woods, MO2,100 people, 10 miles
Reeds Spring, MO1,200 people, 10 miles
Forsyth, MO2,800 people, 12 miles
Green Forest, AR3,200 people, 21 miles

Smaller places

Indian Point, MO580 people, 4 miles
Kirbyville, MO205 people, 8 miles
Branson West, MO485 people, 8 miles
Blue Eye, MO310 people, 8 miles
Bull Creek, MO405 people, 9 miles
Rockaway Beach, MO816 people, 10 miles
Omaha, AR132 people, 12 miles
Oak Grove, AR396 people, 12 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.