Jefferson City Deemed Most Desirable Place to Live

Jefferson City, MO, July 29, 2024--A new study by real estate experts at AgentAdvice has found that Jefferson City, Missouri, is the most desirable city in America to live in. They analyzed 11 metrics that contribute to the desirability of an area, including average home size and price, number of attractions and things to do, as well as the number of schools that rank in the top schools across America.

The research also studied the average income, violent and property crime rates per 100,000 population, as well as vehicle accidents, rent and living costs in the city, and the percentage of people who live within half a mile of a park. These factors were used to determine a score out of 100 to finalize the ranking.

Jefferson City scored 61.33. The median house price ($289,320) is below the average across the other 387 cities analyzed ($416,764), while the home size is above average at 1,944 square feet (the average is 1,901 square feet). Renting is also more affordable, with Jefferson City having the lowest fair market rent of $646, the median for that area.

Jefferson City also has 11 top-ranking schools. And the crime rate is low, with 224.5 violent crimes per 100,000 of the population, roughly half that of the average across the other cities (400 per 100,000).

Rounding out the top ten most desirable cities, per the analysis, are:

1. Idaho Falls, Idaho (60.41)
2. Enid, Oklahoma (60.321)
3. Midland, Michigan (60.11)
4. Appleton, Wisconsin (60.02)
5. Rochester, Minnesota (59.62)
6. Columbus, Indiana (59.17)
7. Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa (59.17)
8. Manhattan, Kansas (59.07)
9. Eau Claire, Wisconsin (58.93)