Scores by category

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

Safety44#8,723/15,637
Economy94#882/15,631
Housing98#343/14,977
Health69#4,844/15,609
Healthcare72#4,380/15,650
Environment75#3,939/15,453
Education68#5,046/15,649
Infrastructure67#5,197/15,650
Community63#5,852/15,651
Leisure & amenities65#5,426/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Social associations · high22.3 /10k
99/100Missouri 11.5 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCole County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.327
97/100Missouri 0.465United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.9%
97/100Missouri 9.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Mammography screening · high57.0%
96/100Missouri 49.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCole County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
95/100Missouri 33 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCole County value
Students per teacher · low10.8×
95/100Missouri 12.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsCole County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high100 mi
10/100Missouri 40 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCole County value
Job growth · low-1.6%
17/100Missouri 0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataCole County value
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
17/100Missouri 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesCole County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low62.8%
23/100Missouri 76.6%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCole County value
Math scores · low2.81
24/100Missouri 2.95United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCole County value
Homicide rate · high5.5 /100k
25/100Missouri 7.7 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataCole County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,878 (2015-2019) → 1,579 (2020-2024)
−16%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.6% (2015-2019) → 91.7% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$92,813 (2015-2019) → $121,222 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
39.2% (2015-2019) → 41.9% (2020-2024)
+2.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
21.8% (2015-2019) → 19.3% (2020-2024)
−2.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.4× (2015-2019) → 2.7× (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Wardsville, Missouri improved on 2 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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

Broadband+12 points79.6% → 91.7%
Household income+31%$92,813 → $121,222

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Wardsville, Missouri between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.0 min2015-2019	21.6 min2020-2024	−1.4 min	Within the margin of error	65%
Bachelor's degree or higher	39.2%2015-2019	41.9%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Broadband subscriptions	79.6%2015-2019	91.7%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	69%
Effective property tax rate	0.77%2015-2019	0.65%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	40%
High school diploma or higher	96.8%2015-2019	96.3%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	2.7×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	62%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3632015-2019	0.3272020-2024	−0.035	Within the margin of error	77%
Median household income	$92,8132015-2019	$121,2222020-2024	+31%	Improved	57%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	19.5%2015-2019	18.3%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%

“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 Wardsville, Missouri five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wardsville, 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, Wardsville, Missouri itself moved +3.1 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,579 residents (±376)

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: 50–59 women (−3.0 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

1,579 residents (±376)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

White97%1,526
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino0.0%0
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.4%†53

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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

968 residents (±175)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

No high school diploma3.7%†36
High school or GED24%236
Some college17%†168
Associate degree13%†122
Bachelor's degree28%275
Graduate degree14%†131

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 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

553 households (±92)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $25k6.1%†34
$25k–50k8.0%†44
$50k–75k9.6%†53
$75k–100k12%†68
$100k–150k39%†214
$150k–200k13%†70
$200k or more13%†70

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+6.3 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 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

553 households (±92)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

Own84%467
Rent16%†86

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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

83 households (±33)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $75036%†30
$750–1,00029%†24
$1,000–1,50019%†16

Home values

467 homes (±87)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

Under $150k4.9%†23
$150k–250k20%†93
$250k–400k51%†236

Age of homes

577 homes (±97)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

2010 or later18%†101
2000–200926%148
1980–199928%162

Size of homes

577 homes (±97)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom5.7%†33
2 bedrooms11%†61

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

809 workers (±183)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

Drive alone80%644
Carpool2.8%†23
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.0%†8
Bike0.0%0
Work from home14%†116
Other2.2%†18

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+11.6 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

693 workers (±140)

Wardsville, Missouri
Missouri share

Under 15 min27%†188
15–29 min53%367
30–44 min9.7%†67

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 Jefferson City, 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 Cole County, the county holding most of Wardsville's residents.

Cole County has 2,224 employer establishments, 288 for every 10,000 residents (1.16× the US rate of 248; 1.18× Missouri's), with 37,060 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,813. The Census Bureau also counts 5,757 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,224; 5,757 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 288; US 248 · Missouri 244
Paid employees: 37,060
Average annual pay: $52,813; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	173	22.4	1.45×More than typical	2,006	$69,306	386
Restaurants and other eating places	148	19.1	1.04×About typical	3,184	$20,015	32
Ambulatory health care services	143	18.5	0.89×About typical	2,391	$67,950	178
Building equipment contractors	74	9.6	1.59×More than typical	1,254	$71,775	43
Services to buildings and dwellings	71	9.2	1.36×More than typical	650	$36,715	380
Limited-service restaurants	68	8.8	1.10×About typical	1,683	$18,033	17
Religious organizations	68	8.8	1.59×More than typical	730	$26,267	—
Construction of buildings	66	8.5	1.13×About typical	431	$57,401	189
Full-service restaurants	65	8.4	1.09×About typical	1,334	$23,134	8
Lessors of real estate	61	7.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	155	$48,006	740
Legal services	56	7.2	1.35×More than typical	358	$77,064	42
Banks and credit unions	51	6.6	2.04×More than typical	1,589	$69,107	—

Rank places for an industry Open Cole County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 77,295 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 $100.8K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Wardsville, Missouri: $63.86 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $100.8K; −33% vs FY2025
Per resident: $63.86; US $1,994
Sole-source: 11%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.3%; 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

Public Buildings Service$45.3K45%
Department of the Army$30.3K30%
Department of Veterans Affairs$8,9528.9%
Food and Drug Administration$6,8216.8%
Department of Education$4,5914.6%
Federal Emergency Management Agency$4,5384.5%
Office of Procurement Operations$1820.2%
Defense Logistics Agency$77.640.1%

Top recipients

HOF CONSTRUCTION INC$28.1K28%
T47 INTERNATIONAL, INC.$28K28%
J'S ASSOCIATES, LLC$11.3K11%
US DIVERSIFIED CONTRACTING SERVICES INC.$7,1287.1%
MENTAL HEALTH, MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF$6,8216.8%

Spending by fiscal year

151.1KFY2017
180.4KFY2018
174.3KFY2019
705.9KFY2020
183.7KFY2021
89.7KFY2022
104.8KFY2023
196.3K

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$41.2K41%
Office administrative services · 5611$28K28%
Facilities support services · 5612$11.3K11%
Administration of human resource programs · 9231$6,8216.8%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$4,5914.6%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413

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

Wardsville, Missouri's figures are part of those of Cole County, MO ($6.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.6% of that total.

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

See federal money in Cole 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.

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

House

Robert F. Onder, Jr.R-MO-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 3.0%

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.

Cole County87100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Jefferson City, MO76

Other cities and towns in Cole 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/2977002

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends