Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety71#265/924
Economy16#779/925
Housing88#112/925
Health45#505/925
Healthcare74#238/923
Environment60#363/917
Education71#272/925
Infrastructure27#676/925
Community65#323/925
Leisure & amenities29#655/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kirksville, MO micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high165 /100k
100/100Missouri 72 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · low58 /100k
97/100Missouri 106 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · low7.2 /100k
94/100Missouri 18.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Average commute time · low17.0 min
94/100Missouri 23.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent as share of income · low24.3%
93/100Missouri 28.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
93/100Missouri 7.7 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.535
1/100Missouri 0.465United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Average weekly wage · low$880
2/100Missouri $1,278United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Income adjusted for local prices · low$50,071
3/100Missouri $71,484United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Aggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · low79.4%
4/100Missouri 89.3%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
New homes permitted · low0.4 /1k
7/100Missouri 3.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Poverty rate · high20.0%
11/100Missouri 12.2%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 23% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+23 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Homicide rateImproving
2.7 /100k (2021) → 0.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
53.9% (2015-2019) → 38.8% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
14.9% (2020 & 2021) → 29.9% (2023 & 2024)
+15 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.9 /1k (2021) → 0.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−60%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
New business applicationsImproving
6.9 /1k (2020) → 10.8 /1k (2025)
+58%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k

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, Kirksville, MO micropolitan area improved on 12 of 28 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 6 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Rent / income−8 points32.3% → 24.3%
Rent burden−15 points53.9% → 38.8%
Household income+46%$42,042 → $61,485
Property crime−57%3,039 /100k → 1,317 /100k
Child poverty−6.1 points17.1% → 11.0%

Declined4

Uninsured+2.7 points10.3% → 13.0%
Pharmacies−18%2.0 /10k → 1.7 /10k
Restaurants−5.6%8.9 /10k → 8.4 /10k
Traffic deaths+20%11.4 /100k → 13.7 /100k

All 28 measures

Change of every measure of Kirksville, MO micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.7 /10k2020	2.7 /10k2025	−1.8%	Little change	25%
Average commute time	18.4 min2015-2019	17.0 min2020-2024	−1.4 min	Within the margin of error	92%
Average weekly wage	$7042020	$8802025	+25%	Improved	66%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.7%2015-2019	31.8%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Improved	80%
Broadband subscriptions	72.9%2015-2019	79.4%2020-2024	+6.4 points	Improved	18%
Child poverty rate	17.1%2015-2019	11.0%2020-2024	−6.1 points	Improved	83%
Distance to an airport	107 mi2020	107 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	87%
Drug overdose deaths	13.0 /100k2020	7.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−45%	Improved	74%
Effective property tax rate	0.68%2015-2019	0.68%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Grocery stores	1.4 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	−1.8%	Little change	43%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	−1.8%	Little change	36%
High school diploma or higher	89.7%2015-2019	93.3%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	98%
Income adjusted for local prices	$38,1812019	$50,0712024	+31%	Improved	46%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5052015-2019	0.5352020-2024	+0.029	Within the margin of error	7%
Median household income	$42,0422015-2019	$61,4852020-2024	+46%	Improved	99%
New business applications	6.9 /1k2020	10.8 /1k2025	+58%	Improved	67%
Pharmacies	2.0 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	−18%	Declined	24%
Poverty rate	22.8%2015-2019	20.0%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Property crime rate	3,039 /100k2020	1,317 /100k2025	−57%	Improved	93%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.7 /10k2024	+1.5%	Little change	74%
Rent as share of income	32.3%2015-2019	24.3%2020-2024	−8 points	Improved	99%
Rent-burdened households	53.9%2015-2019	38.8%2020-2024	−15 points	Improved	100%
Restaurants and bars	8.9 /10k2020	8.4 /10k2025	−5.6%	Declined	24%
Traffic deaths	11.4 /100k2015-2019	13.7 /100k2020-2024	+20%	Declined	28%
Unemployment rate	4.8%2020	4.6%2025	−0.2 points	Little change	1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.3%2015-2019	13.0%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Declined	3%
Violent crime rate	402 /100k2020	247 /100k2025	−39%	Improved	87%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Kirksville, MO micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kirksville, MO micropolitan area 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, Kirksville, MO micropolitan area itself moved +7 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

29,339 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

10,433 households (±326)

Kirksville, MO micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k23%2,429
$25k–50k19%1,964
$50k–75k18%1,917

Homes

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

Owners and renters

10,433 households (±326)

Kirksville, MO micropolitan area
United States share

Own63%6,613
Rent37%3,820

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

12,368 workers (±594)

Kirksville, MO micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone78%9,682
Carpool9.8%1,213
Public transit0.1%†8

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 no occupation wages for Kirksville, MO micropolitan area.

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.

Kirksville, MO has 681 employer establishments, 233 for every 10,000 residents (0.94× the US rate of 248), with 8,813 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,492. The Census Bureau also counts 2,071 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 681; 2,071 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 233; US 248
Paid employees: 8,813
Average annual pay: $43,492; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	79	27	1.30×More than typical	946	$62,263	66
Restaurants and other eating places	43	14.7	0.80×About typical	963	$15,930	11
Religious organizations	33	11.3	2.04×More than typical	119	$16,471	—
Specialty trade contractors	29	9.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	163	$79,080	244
Automotive repair and maintenance	28	9.6	1.90×More than typical	100	$42,000	42
Home health care services	27	9.2	7.63×More than typical	118	$79,483	10
Offices of physicians	22	7.5	1.16×About typical	341	$69,745	24
Gasoline stations	21	7.2	2.22×More than typical	169	$27,243	—
Full-service restaurants	20	6.8	0.89×About typical	397	$17,713	5
Limited-service restaurants	20	6.8	0.85×About typical	517	$14,886	6
Lessors of real estate	18	6.2	0.50×Fewer than typical	50	$38,200	149
Construction of buildings	17	5.8	0.77×Fewer than typical	78	$48,167	109

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 29,228 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $3.8M on contracts performed in Kirksville, MO micropolitan area: $127 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3.8M; −9.4% vs FY2025
Per resident: $127; US $1,994
Sole-source: 33%; 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

Top recipients

NORTHEAST MISSOURI HEALTH COUNCIL, INC.$1.6M42%
A. T. STILL UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES$1.2M33%
HIGH COUNTRY CONTRACTORS INC$830K22%
ECC ENVIRONMENTAL LLC$71.8K1.9%
EA ENGINEERING, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY, INC., PBC$37.2K1.0%

Spending by fiscal year

2.6MFY2017
3.6MFY2018
3.3MFY2019
3.6MFY2020
3.4MFY2021
4.3MFY2022
4.7MFY2023
3.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Outpatient care centers · 6214$1.6M42%
Colleges, universities, and professional schools · 6113$1.2M33%
Utility system construction · 2371$830K22%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$109K2.9%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$12.1K0.3%

Largest awards

OY3 TASK ORDER$1.8M
NORTHEAST MISSOURI HEALTH COUNCIL, INC.· Adair County, MO· Health & medical· Jun 16, 2026 – Jun 16, 2026· 36C25526N0328
OY2 TASK ORDER$1.5M
NORTHEAST MISSOURI HEALTH COUNCIL, INC.· Adair County, MO· Health & medical· Mar 27, 2025 – Aug 18, 2026· 36C25525N0234
TUITION AND FEES$961.5K
A. T. STILL UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES· Adair County, MO· Education & social services· Jul 10, 2025 – Mar 26, 2026· N0622A25FA350
TUITION AND FEES$954.7K

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $167.9M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Kirksville, MO micropolitan area: $5,629 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $167.9M; −4.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,629; US $12,955
Loan face value: $12.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 3.6%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$92.1M55%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$14.7M8.8%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$11.6M6.9%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$8.7M5.2%
20.901 · Payments for Essential Air Services$5.6M3.4%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$5.2M3.1%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$3.8M2.3%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$3.5M2.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

CORPORATE FLIGHT MANAGEMENT, INC.$5.6M3.4%
SMYRNA, TN
TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY$4.3M2.6%
KIRKSVILLE, MO
NORTHEAST MISSOURI HEALTH COUNCIL, INC.$3.3M2.0%
KIRKSVILLE, MO
NORTHEAST MISSOURI COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY$3M1.8%
KIRKSVILLE, MO
A. T. STILL UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$120.8M72%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$13.2M7.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation$5.6M3.4%
Department of Transportation
Health Resources and Services Administration$5.6M3.4%
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

191MFY2021
155.1MFY2022
162.6MFY2023
177.9MFY2024
175.5MFY2025
167.9MFY2026

County aggregates

81%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Kirksville, MO

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

KirksvillePrincipal city17,563

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Missouri

Areas based in Missouri, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M28860

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined4

Metro and micro areas like Kirksville, MO micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Kirksville, MO

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Missouri

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined4

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought