Scores by category

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

Safety55#7,093/15,637
Economy37#9,835/15,631
Housing—
Health32#10,651/15,609
Healthcare26#11,570/15,650
Environment91#1,322/15,453
Education56#6,851/15,649
Infrastructure63#5,745/15,650
Community21#12,299/15,651
Leisure & amenities7#14,624/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Pulaski 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

Average commute time · low9.1 min
100/100Missouri 23.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent-burdened households · low24.0%
100/100Missouri 45.6%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.297
99/100Missouri 0.465United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Dentists · high132 /100k
99/100Missouri 64 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePulaski County value
Rent as share of income · low22.6%
97/100Missouri 28.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
High school diploma or higher · high97.0%
91/100Missouri 91.8%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low20.0%
1/100Missouri 44.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePulaski County value
Job growth · low-5.6%
1/100Missouri 0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataPulaski County value
Distance to an emergency room · high21.7 mi
2/100Missouri 6.6 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPulaski County value
Food environment index · low5.9
3/100Missouri 6.9United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePulaski County value
Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
5/100Missouri 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPulaski County value
Mammography screening · low34.0%
6/100Missouri 49.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePulaski County value

Trends

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

Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
39.6% (2015-2019) → 25.5% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$51,364 (2015-2019) → $67,772 (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
30.3% (2015-2019) → 24.0% (2020-2024)
−6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Unemployment rateImproving
9.7% (2015-2019) → 5.1% (2020-2024)
−4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
4.7% (2015-2019) → 9.1% (2020-2024)
+4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
87.8% (2015-2019) → 91.9% (2020-2024)
+4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri improved on 2 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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.

Improved2

Unemployment−4.6 points9.7% → 5.1%
Household income+32%$51,364 → $67,772

Declined1

Bachelor's+−14 points39.6% → 25.5%

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	10.4 min2015-2019	9.0 min2020-2024	−1.3 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	39.6%2015-2019	25.5%2020-2024	−14 points	Declined	1%
Broadband subscriptions	87.8%2015-2019	91.9%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	26%
High school diploma or higher	96.8%2015-2019	97.0%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3392015-2019	0.2972020-2024	−0.042	Within the margin of error	80%
Median household income	$51,3642015-2019	$67,7722020-2024	+32%	Improved	60%
Poverty rate	6.4%2015-2019	7.2%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Rent as share of income	22.7%2015-2019	22.6%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Rent-burdened households	30.3%2015-2019	24.0%2020-2024	−6.2 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Unemployment rate	9.7%2015-2019	5.1%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Improved	95%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.6%2015-2019	4.1%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	53%

“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 Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fort Leonard Wood, 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, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri itself moved −5.4 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

15,432 residents (±713)

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: 40–49 men (−1.3 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

15,432 residents (±713)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

White48%7,365
Black15%2,270
Hispanic or Latino26%4,011
Asian2.4%†365
American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%†30
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander2.0%†303
Other or two or more races7.0%†1,088

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (+5.2 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

4,437 residents (±455)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

No high school diploma3.0%†133
High school or GED24%1,052
Some college34%1,521
Associate degree13%†598
Bachelor's degree16%711
Graduate degree9.5%†422

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (−9.8 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 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

1,854 households (±269)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $25k8.0%†149
$25k–50k21%†385
$50k–75k31%570
$75k–100k15%†283
$100k–150k23%†426
$150k–200k1.6%†30
$200k or more0.6%†11

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−17.2 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 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

1,854 households (±269)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

Own0.0%0
Rent100%1,854

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

1,362 households (±218)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $7503.4%†46
$750–1,0009.5%†130
$1,000–1,50073%988

Home values

15 homes (±17)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $150k40%†6
$150k–250k0.0%0
$250k–400k60%†9

Age of homes

2,507 homes (±293)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

2010 or later23%†571
2000–200920%504
1980–199929%†738

Size of homes

2,507 homes (±293)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

Studio14%†350
1 bedroom2.8%†71
2 bedrooms30%764

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

9,455 workers (±935)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

Drive alone24%2,249
Carpool3.6%†336
Public transit0.2%†19
Walk35%3,342
Bike0.0%0
Work from home36%3,365
Other1.5%†144

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

6,090 workers (±972)

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Missouri share

Under 15 min83%5,033
15–29 min13%792
30–44 min2.9%†175

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 Fort Leonard Wood, 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 Pulaski County, the county holding most of Fort Leonard Wood's residents.

Pulaski County has 653 employer establishments, 121 for every 10,000 residents (0.49× the US rate of 248; 0.50× Missouri's), with 8,340 paid employees at an average annual pay of $38,577. The Census Bureau also counts 2,653 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 653; 2,653 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 121; US 248 · Missouri 244
Paid employees: 8,340
Average annual pay: $38,577; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	72	13.4	0.73×Fewer than typical	1,339	$19,191	12
Religious organizations	39	7.3	1.31×More than typical	182	$18,830	—
Full-service restaurants	35	6.5	0.85×About typical	539	$20,122	4
Lessors of real estate	32	6	0.48×Fewer than typical	118	$46,051	223
Specialty trade contractors	32	6	0.38×Fewer than typical	174	$44,615	232
Ambulatory health care services	30	5.6	0.27×Fewer than typical	234	$69,846	78
Limited-service restaurants	30	5.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	685	$17,803	5
Traveler accommodation	25	4.7	2.58×More than typical	414	$28,529	9
Gasoline stations	22	4.1	1.26×More than typical	233	$27,000	—
Banks and credit unions	19	3.5	1.09×About typical	249	$50,735	4
Automotive repair and maintenance	16	3	0.59×Fewer than typical	67	$47,582	47
Construction of buildings	15	2.8	0.37×Fewer than typical	58	$47,897	124

Rank places for an industry Open Pulaski County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 53,754 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 $62.9M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri: $4,076 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $62.9M; +4.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4,076; US $2,007
Sole-source: 19%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.6%; US 8.7%

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$56.4M90%
Defense Logistics Agency$5.7M9.1%
Defense Health Agency$386.7K0.6%
Defense Commissary Agency$209.7K0.3%
Department of the Air Force$67.1K0.1%
Federal Acquisition Service$32.5K0.1%
Department of the Navy$32K0.1%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$3,1160.0%

Top recipients

BL HARBERT INTERNATIONAL LLC$28.2M45%
TSAY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, INC.$8.1M13%
AMERICAN WATER MILITARY SERVICES, LLC$3.7M5.9%
MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES$3.7M5.9%
SHO-ME POWER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE$3.5M5.6%

Spending by fiscal year

48MFY2017
48.6MFY2018
73.3MFY2019
60.1MFY2020
54.8MFY2021
83.9MFY2022
69.1MFY2023
69M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$30M48%
Facilities support services · 5612$10.7M17%
Special food services · 7223$4.8M7.6%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$4.5M7.2%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$3.7M5.9%
Natural gas distribution · 2212$1.8M2.8%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, so they do not add up across cities.

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri's figures are part of those of Pulaski County, MO ($288.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 22% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Fort Leonard Wood is mostly in Pulaski County.

See federal money in Pulaski 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.

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Mark AlfordR-MO-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.6%

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.

Pulaski County46100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Fort Leonard Wood, MO45

Other cities and towns in Pulaski 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
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/2925264

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends