City · Douglas County, Missouri

Ava, Missouri

Ava is a city in Douglas County, Missouri. It has 3,045 residents. Ava, Missouri has a quality-of-life score of 21 out of 100 (low), ranking #12,341 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Missouri it ranks #330 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on drug overdose deaths (low), property crime rate (low) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on average weekly wage (low), distance to an emergency room (high) and food environment index (low).

21Low

Quality-of-life score: #12,341 of 15,651 cities and towns
Missouri: #330 of 375 in MO
Population: 3,045 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 916.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 2902674

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety27#11,366/15,637
Economy7#14,613/15,631
Housing96#602/14,977
Health13#13,616/15,609
Healthcare2#15,366/15,650
Environment66#5,267/15,453
Education35#10,139/15,649
Infrastructure11#13,861/15,650
Community51#7,598/15,651
Leisure & amenities19#12,662/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Ava, Missouri ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Douglas 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

Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Missouri 18.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionDouglas County value
Property crime rate · low265 /100k
98/100Missouri 1,644 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationDouglas County value
Voter turnout · high80.8%
96/100Missouri 66.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionDouglas County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.40%
94/100Missouri 0.89%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
New homes permitted · high9.9 /1k
88/100Missouri 3.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Pharmacies · high2.4 /10k
88/100Missouri 2.1 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDouglas County value

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$766
0/100Missouri $1,278United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDouglas County value
Distance to an emergency room · high33.2 mi
0/100Missouri 6.6 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDouglas County value
Food environment index · low5.8
3/100Missouri 6.9United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDouglas County value
Primary care physicians · low17 /100k
3/100Missouri 72 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDouglas County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Missouri 5.3 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyDouglas County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Missouri 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDouglas County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,889 (2015-2019) → 3,045 (2020-2024)
+5.4%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
61.2% (2015-2019) → 81.4% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
37.1% (2015-2019) → 24.2% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.388 (2015-2019) → 0.568 (2020-2024)
+46%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
9.0% (2015-2019) → 17.9% (2020-2024)
+8.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$31,298 (2015-2019) → $42,500 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Ava, 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

Broadband+20 points61.2% → 81.4%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Ava, Missouri between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.1 min2015-2019	19.0 min2020-2024	+4.9 min	Within the margin of error	10%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.0%2015-2019	12.1%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Broadband subscriptions	61.2%2015-2019	81.4%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	90%
Child poverty rate	37.1%2015-2019	24.2%2020-2024	−13 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Effective property tax rate	0.50%2015-2019	0.40%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	35%
High school diploma or higher	91.0%2015-2019	84.8%2020-2024	−6.2 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.5×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	35%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3882015-2019	0.5682020-2024	+0.180	Within the margin of error	1%
Median household income	$31,2982015-2019	$42,5002020-2024	+36%	Within the margin of error	67%
Poverty rate	27.2%2015-2019	21.7%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	27.1%2015-2019	22.5%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Rent-burdened households	41.1%2015-2019	35.0%2020-2024	−6.2 points	Within the margin of error	75%

“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 Ava, Missouri five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ava, 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, Ava, Missouri itself moved −9.1 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

3,045 residents (±16)

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: Under 10 men (−6.5 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

3,045 residents (±16)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

White97%2,947
Black1.7%†53
Hispanic or Latino0.5%†16

Education

1,956 residents (±160)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

No high school diploma15%†298
High school or GED43%842
Some college21%†414

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

1,116 households (±130)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $25k24%†273
$25k–50k30%†334
$50k–75k21%†234
$75k–100k9.2%†103
$100k–150k12%†130
$150k–200k2.1%†23
$200k or more1.7%†19

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

† 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

1,116 households (±130)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

Own55%611
Rent45%505

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

486 households (±119)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $75055%†265
$750–1,00033%†162
$1,000–1,50012%†59

Home values

611 homes (±108)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $150k52%†315
$150k–250k35%†214
$250k–400k12%†74

Age of homes

1,227 homes (±144)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

2010 or later2.6%†32
2000–20095.8%†71
1980–199931%†384

Size of homes

1,227 homes (±144)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

Studio0.3%†4
1 bedroom3.8%†47
2 bedrooms29%351

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

1,062 workers (±186)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

Drive alone84%887
Carpool6.7%†71
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.8%†8
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.0%†96
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+8.2 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

966 workers (±194)

Ava, Missouri
Missouri share

Under 15 min58%559
15–29 min23%†220
30–44 min3.0%†29

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 Douglas County, the county holding most of Ava's residents.

Douglas County has 224 employer establishments, 183 for every 10,000 residents (0.74× the US rate of 248; 0.75× Missouri's), with 2,380 paid employees at an average annual pay of $34,579. The Census Bureau also counts 1,275 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 224; 1,275 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 183; US 248 · Missouri 244
Paid employees: 2,380
Average annual pay: $34,579; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	23	18.8	1.21×About typical	98	$30,857	215
Other specialty trade contractors	12	9.8	3.91×More than typical	56	$26,232	80
Religious organizations	12	9.8	1.77×More than typical	38	$13,789	—
Ambulatory health care services	11	9	0.43×Fewer than typical	186	$51,634	24
Construction of buildings	11	9	1.19×About typical	61	$41,869	123
Restaurants and other eating places	10	8.2	0.44×Fewer than typical	151	$17,225	4
Automotive repair and maintenance	9	7.4	1.46×Too few to compare	25	$44,120	22
Truck transportation	9	7.4	1.45×Too few to compare	17	$54,000	47
Lessors of real estate	8	6.5	0.53×Too few to compare	12	$13,917	84
Building equipment contractors	6	4.9	0.81×Too few to compare	33	$37,939	33
Full-service restaurants	6	4.9	0.64×Too few to compare	39	$16,846	—
Gasoline stations	6	4.9	1.51×Too few to compare	108	$39,991	—

Rank places for an industry Open Douglas County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,240 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Douglas 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.

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

House

Jason SmithR-MO-8 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.3%

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.

Douglas County20100% of residents

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

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