Scores by category

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

Safety15#13,328/15,637
Economy27#11,359/15,631
Housing74#3,908/14,977
Health14#13,364/15,609
Healthcare18#12,882/15,650
Environment31#10,670/15,453
Education85#2,358/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,299/15,650
Community31#10,814/15,651
Leisure & amenities76#3,798/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Arts, entertainment and recreation · high22.5 /10k
100/100Missouri 4.6 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTaney County value
Restaurants and bars · high19.0 /10k
98/100Missouri 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTaney County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.47%
89/100Missouri 0.89%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Public EV charging ports · high13.9 /10k
89/100Missouri 5.3 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyTaney County value
New business applications · high18.7 /1k
86/100Missouri 16.2 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauTaney County value
Social associations · high13.0 /10k
82/100Missouri 11.5 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTaney County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an emergency room · high27.6 mi
1/100Missouri 6.6 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesTaney County value
Average weekly wage · low$838
2/100Missouri $1,278United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTaney County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
4/100Missouri 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesTaney County value
Food environment index · low6.1
4/100Missouri 6.9United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTaney County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high131 mi
6/100Missouri 33 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauTaney County value
Firearm deaths · high24.7 /100k
7/100Missouri 20.1 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataTaney County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,549 (2015-2019) → 2,766 (2020-2024)
+8.5%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
15.2% (2015-2019) → 34.3% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
New homes permittedWorsening
17.1 /1k (2021) → 1.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−94%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
23.8% (2015-2019) → 11.3% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Poverty rateImproving
22.5% (2015-2019) → 11.7% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
51.1% (2015-2019) → 42.4% (2020-2024)
−8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Forsyth, Missouri improved on 4 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 6 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.

Improved4

Uninsured−13 points23.8% → 11.3%
Bachelor's++19 points15.2% → 34.3%
Poverty−11 points22.5% → 11.7%
Broadband+5.4 points83.5% → 88.9%

Declined2

Inequality+0.1250.404 → 0.530
Price / income+1.2×3.0× → 4.2×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Forsyth, Missouri between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.9 min2015-2019	22.8 min2020-2024	−5.1 min	Within the margin of error	90%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.2%2015-2019	34.3%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	99%
Broadband subscriptions	83.5%2015-2019	88.9%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Improved	34%
Effective property tax rate	0.68%2015-2019	0.47%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	60%
High school diploma or higher	84.7%2015-2019	90.3%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	4.2×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	16%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4042015-2019	0.5302020-2024	+0.125	Declined	2%
Median household income	$39,4762015-2019	$45,8242020-2024	+16%	Within the margin of error	26%
Poverty rate	22.5%2015-2019	11.7%2020-2024	−11 points	Improved	94%
Rent as share of income	30.3%2015-2019	28.9%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Rent-burdened households	51.1%2015-2019	42.4%2020-2024	−8.8 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	23.8%2015-2019	11.3%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	98%

“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 Forsyth, Missouri five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Forsyth, 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, Forsyth, Missouri itself moved +4.5 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

2,766 residents (±18)

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: 30–39 women (−5.0 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

2,766 residents (±18)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

White92%2,543
Black1.2%†32
Hispanic or Latino0.6%†17
Asian0.5%†14
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races5.8%†160

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (−3.7 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

2,125 residents (±158)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

No high school diploma9.7%†206
High school or GED32%670
Some college17%366
Associate degree7.2%†154
Bachelor's degree13%†282
Graduate degree21%†447

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Graduate degree (+17.0 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

1,282 households (±144)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $25k24%†312
$25k–50k31%†396
$50k–75k13%†173
$75k–100k7.7%†99
$100k–150k8.0%†102
$150k–200k8.7%†111
$200k or more6.9%†89

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $75k–100k (−6.8 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

1,282 households (±144)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

Own71%912
Rent29%†370

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+6.9 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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

335 households (±140)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $75051%†171
$750–1,00028%†94
$1,000–1,50021%†70

Home values

912 homes (±121)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $150k12%†113
$150k–250k62%†563
$250k–400k13%†115

Age of homes

1,417 homes (±149)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

2010 or later7.9%†112
2000–200917%†240
1980–199937%†528

Size of homes

1,417 homes (±149)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

Studio2.0%†28
1 bedroom12%†177
2 bedrooms44%629

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

989 workers (±161)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

Drive alone84%833
Carpool11%†104
Public transit0.0%0
Walk2.5%†25
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.3%†23
Other0.4%†4

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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

966 workers (±157)

Forsyth, Missouri
Missouri share

Under 15 min39%†374
15–29 min33%†319
30–44 min20%†192

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

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Branson, MO

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 Taney County, the county holding most of Forsyth's residents.

Taney County has 1,928 employer establishments, 339 for every 10,000 residents (1.37× the US rate of 248; 1.39× Missouri's), with 24,801 paid employees at an average annual pay of $38,044. The Census Bureau also counts 5,651 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,928; 5,651 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 339; US 248 · Missouri 244
Paid employees: 24,801
Average annual pay: $38,044; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	191	33.6	1.83×More than typical	4,152	$24,455	32
Lessors of real estate	169	29.7	2.41×More than typical	1,594	$55,194	708
Traveler accommodation	108	19	10.5×More than typical	3,193	$35,533	73
Real estate agents and brokers	105	18.5	3.80×More than typical	970	$67,479	203
Specialty trade contractors	105	18.5	1.19×About typical	636	$46,642	455
Clothing and accessories stores	98	17.2	4.75×More than typical	1,079	$24,522	49
Full-service restaurants	96	16.9	2.20×More than typical	2,528	$25,491	13
Ambulatory health care services	89	15.7	0.75×Fewer than typical	806	$63,990	88
Services to buildings and dwellings	71	12.5	1.85×More than typical	889	$29,804	594
Religious organizations	60	10.6	1.90×More than typical	437	$29,371	—
Limited-service restaurants	56	9.9	1.23×About typical	1,103	$21,383	10
Construction of buildings	53	9.3	1.23×About typical	200	$49,480	285

Rank places for an industry Open Taney County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 56,830 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 $621 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Forsyth, Missouri: $0.22 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $621; −29% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.22; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$621100%

Top recipients

COUNTY OF TANEY$621100%

Spending by fiscal year

2.7KFY2017
1.8KFY2018
-884.5FY2019
-454.6FY2020
1.3KFY2022
1.3KFY2023
1.1KFY2024
878.5FY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Justice, public order, and safety activities · 9221$621100%

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 Forsyth, Missouri, so they do not add up across cities.

Forsyth, Missouri's figures are part of those of Taney County, MO ($7.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Taney 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.

Forsyth, 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.

Taney County38100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Branson, MO33

Other cities and towns in Taney 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/2925192

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends