Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety42#9,031/15,637
Economy17#13,007/15,631
Housing98#299/14,977
Health10#14,061/15,609
Healthcare6#14,645/15,650
Environment47#8,226/15,453
Education16#13,163/15,649
Infrastructure14#13,410/15,650
Community68#5,037/15,651
Leisure & amenities2#15,277/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Aurora, Missouri ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lawrence County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Voter turnout · high82.4%
98/100Missouri 66.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionLawrence County value
Job growth · high2.5%
91/100Missouri 0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataLawrence County value
Public libraries · high1.5 /10k
87/100Missouri 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesLawrence County value
Rent as share of income · low24.1%
87/100Missouri 28.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
New homes permitted · high8.9 /1k
86/100Missouri 3.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Rent-burdened households · low37.9%
85/100Missouri 45.6%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Traffic deaths · high37.3 /100k
4/100Missouri 16.2 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataLawrence County value
Adult smoking · high23.1%
4/100Missouri 19.5%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.3 /10k
4/100Missouri 4.6 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLawrence County value
Physical inactivity · high36.9%
6/100Missouri 31.3%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Dental care shortage · high18.0
6/100Missouri 9.4United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLawrence County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high119 mi
7/100Missouri 33 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLawrence County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateWorsening
12.0% (2015-2019) → 25.8% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
New homes permittedImproving
6.3 /1k (2021) → 8.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+41%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
45.7% (2015-2019) → 37.9% (2020-2024)
−7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateWorsening
12.0% (2015-2019) → 18.1% (2020-2024)
+6.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$38,750 (2015-2019) → $49,848 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
28.9% (2015-2019) → 24.1% (2020-2024)
−4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Aurora, Missouri improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Household income+29%$38,750 → $49,848

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Aurora, Missouri between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.8 min2015-2019	20.5 min2020-2024	−6.3 min	Within the margin of error	94%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.6%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Broadband subscriptions	83.3%2015-2019	83.2%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Effective property tax rate	0.84%2015-2019	0.64%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	58%
High school diploma or higher	82.7%2015-2019	84.2%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	50%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4042015-2019	0.4322020-2024	+0.028	Within the margin of error	28%
Median household income	$38,7502015-2019	$49,8482020-2024	+29%	Improved	52%
Poverty rate	12.0%2015-2019	18.1%2020-2024	+6.1 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.9%2015-2019	24.1%2020-2024	−4.8 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Rent-burdened households	45.7%2015-2019	37.9%2020-2024	−7.8 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.8%2015-2019	17.5%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	21%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Aurora, Missouri five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Aurora, Missouri in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Aurora, Missouri itself moved +2.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

7,397 residents (±19)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (−7.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

7,397 residents (±19)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

White90%6,642
Black0.3%†19
Hispanic or Latino6.7%†496
Asian0.2%†18
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†7
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.2%†13
Other or two or more races2.7%†202

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: American Indian and Alaska Native (−1.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

5,241 residents (±319)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

No high school diploma16%†830
High school or GED45%2,376
Some college19%987
Associate degree8.0%†418
Bachelor's degree8.1%†426
Graduate degree3.9%†204

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: High school or GED (+10.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,940 households (±242)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $25k24%†696
$25k–50k27%780
$50k–75k16%†473
$75k–100k7.8%†230
$100k–150k18%†520
$150k–200k3.5%†103
$200k or more4.7%†138

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+12.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,940 households (±242)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

Own68%2,006
Rent32%934

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

934 households (±245)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $75044%†409
$750–1,00031%†293
$1,000–1,50025%†232

Home values

2,006 homes (±280)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $150k57%1,150
$150k–250k31%†630
$250k–400k8.1%†163

Age of homes

3,524 homes (±271)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

2010 or later3.0%†106
2000–20098.1%†285
1980–199926%900

Size of homes

3,524 homes (±271)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

Studio4.5%†159
1 bedroom9.2%†325
2 bedrooms20%707

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,077 workers (±445)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

Drive alone78%2,397
Carpool10%†319
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.7%†52
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.9%†274
Other1.1%†35

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−9.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,803 workers (±473)

Aurora, Missouri
Missouri share

Under 15 min54%1,501
15–29 min20%†561
30–44 min13%†365

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Lawrence County, the county holding most of Aurora's residents.

Lawrence County has 689 employer establishments, 177 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248; 0.73× Missouri's), with 6,385 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,712. The Census Bureau also counts 3,122 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 689; 3,122 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 177; US 248 · Missouri 244
Paid employees: 6,385
Average annual pay: $44,712; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lawrence County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	63	16.2	1.05×About typical	217	$43,074	413
Restaurants and other eating places	48	12.3	0.67×Fewer than typical	710	$17,221	17
Religious organizations	46	11.8	2.13×More than typical	246	$20,695	—
Truck transportation	45	11.6	2.29×More than typical	232	$54,440	131
Ambulatory health care services	34	8.7	0.42×Fewer than typical	313	$63,089	57
Limited-service restaurants	28	7.2	0.90×About typical	512	$17,709	5
Gasoline stations	25	6.4	1.98×More than typical	248	$35,778	—
Building equipment contractors	24	6.2	1.03×About typical	74	$43,514	95
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	5.4	1.07×About typical	79	$50,557	85
Construction of buildings	20	5.1	0.68×Fewer than typical	53	$38,906	288
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	19	4.9	1.55×More than typical	57	$36,807	94
Services to buildings and dwellings	17	4.4	0.65×Fewer than typical	29	$22,069	221

Rank places for an industry Open Lawrence County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 38,902 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Aurora, Missouri: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

52.8KFY2020

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Aurora, Missouri, so they do not add up across cities.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Aurora is mostly in Lawrence County.

See federal money in Lawrence County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Aurora, Missouri is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Eric BurlisonR-MO-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 4.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Lawrence County27100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lawrence County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2902548