Living in Cameron, Missouri: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 7.5% below the U.S. average in the Kansas City metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.1 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood26 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 3.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 8.2 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byCameron Regional Medical Center is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityKansas City is about 46 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 Cameron 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

Worth a closer look

Cameron has lost about 20% of its people since 2020. A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

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: $193,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 19%Clinton County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,063 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $61,791U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 57%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,480 a yearMissouri: $1,948
Homes built before 1940: 29%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 9%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 3%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 92.5U.S. average = 100 (the Kansas City metro area)

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 19% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Kansas City metro area, not Cameron 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: 7,3412020: 9,120
Median age: 40.1 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 17%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 18%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 13%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 9%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: Schools, health care and social services (27%); retail (18%); manufacturing (14%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 22 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 7%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 16%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Cameron Regional Medical Center, Cameron, MO, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 1 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

4 public schools in Cameron, run by Cameron R-I.

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: 65%U.S.: 76%

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: 15°F
July average high: 87°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 35 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 132 a year
Rain and melted snow: 39.9 inches a year
Snow: 8 inches a year
Elevation: 1,010 feet

Weather stations: Cameron (1 mile away) and Hamilton 2W (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

St. Joseph, MOCity of 71,00031

Kansas City, MOMetro of 2.3 million46

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: St. Joseph, Kansas City.

Clinton County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Read about Cameron's history on Wikipedia.

Know Cameron?

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

Maysville, MO1,100 people, 12 miles
Hamilton, MO1,700 people, 12 miles
Lathrop, MO2,300 people, 13 miles
Plattsburg, MO2,200 people, 18 miles
Gallatin, MO1,800 people, 18 miles
Gower, MO1,500 people, 21 miles

Smaller places

Osborn, MO369 people, 7 miles
Kidder, MO284 people, 7 miles
Turney, MO125 people, 9 miles
Winston, MO232 people, 10 miles
Kingston, MO294 people, 12 miles
Altamont, MO172 people, 13 miles
Stewartsville, MO723 people, 14 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.