Living in Neosho, Missouri: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 14.3% below the U.S. average in the Joplin metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood22 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.6 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 14.4 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town9 public schools: 5 elementary, 2 middle, 1 high school and 1 other.
A hospital close byFreeman Neosho Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityTulsa is about 98 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 Neosho 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

Boom town. The population is up 11% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

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: $163,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 21%Newton County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $745 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $57,891U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 61%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,044 a yearMissouri: $1,948
Homes built before 1940: 12%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 8%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 85.7U.S. average = 100 (the Joplin 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 21% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Joplin metro area, not Neosho 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: 14,0782020: 12,726
Median age: 33 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 15%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 25%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 22%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 15%U.S.: 6%
College students: 7%share of all residents

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: Manufacturing (20%); schools, health care and social services (20%); retail (15%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 19 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 5%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 15%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Freeman Neosho Hospital, Neosho, MO, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Nearest general hospital: Freeman Health System - Freeman West, Joplin, MO, about 17 miles away. Medicare gives it 2 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

9 public schools in Neosho, run by Neosho School District and Westview C-6.

Colleges in or next to town: Crowder College (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: 58%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 87%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: 25°F
July average high: 90°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 41 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 98 a year
Rain and melted snow: 50 inches a year
Snow: 8 inches a year
Elevation: 1,209 feet

Weather station: Neosho (2 miles away). 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

Joplin, MOCity of 54,00017

Tulsa, OKMetro of 1.1 million98

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: Joplin, Tulsa.

Newton County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Neosho Commercial Historic District and Neosho Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase).

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

George Washington Carver National Monument9 miles
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield11 miles
Pea Ridge National Military Park31 miles

Read about Neosho's history on Wikipedia.

Know Neosho?

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

Goodman, MO1,300 people, 8 miles
Granby, MO2,100 people, 8 miles
Seneca, MO2,300 people, 13 miles
Anderson, MO2,100 people, 14 miles
Loma Linda, MO1,000 people, 15 miles
Duquesne, MO2,300 people, 16 miles

Smaller places

Stark City, MO131 people, 11 miles
Newtonia, MO215 people, 11 miles
Diamond, MO906 people, 11 miles
Stella, MO170 people, 12 miles
Saginaw, MO333 people, 14 miles
Shoal Creek Estates, MO108 people, 14 miles
Redings Mill, MO159 people, 14 miles
Leawood, MO643 people, 15 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.