Bernie-City-Hall-mo, 2020
Bernie’s story
137 years in pictures
Census counts: 333 in 1900, 1,859 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2020 and 3 maps from 1940 on.
- 1889Bernie is settled
BernieMO
A town of 1,828, settled in 1889. A typical home costs 2 years of the county’s $58K median household income.
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,828
2025 Census estimate · −1.5% since 2020
Typical home
$118K
+7.1% in a year
Household income
$48K
median
Median age
46.7
years
Jobs based here
384
A commuter town
Is Bernie a good place to live?
The best of Bernie’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A for schools; the weakest is a D for health. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Bernie, above both the Missouri town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On hazard risk, just 12 of Missouri’s 419 towns do worse. The median household income is $48K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. On civic life, just 20 of Missouri’s 390 towns do worse. Bernie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Bernie stand out
Where Bernie beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Typical home value
Bernie$118K
Missouri$265K
Cost of livingA+
2 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 98% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Bernie0.5
Missouri4.3
U.S.3.3
SafetyA−
88% less violent crime than MO
FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.
32 measures vs. Missouri
0 better13 too close to call19 worse
| Widest gap | Bernie | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 13% | 8% |
Worth knowing · HealthD
Less healthy than 95% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
A commuter town
90% of working residents leave Bernie for work
Where Bernie’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
384jobs based in Bernie
10%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Bernie grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Bernie is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →HealthMercy Hospital Stoddard 9.4 miles awayDOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listDOpen →SchoolsBeat 90% of Missouri districts on tests and graduationAOpen →SafetyA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.1 of 20; 3% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksDOpen →History1 notable person born hereCOpen →Civic life0.8 library visits per resident; 1.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 90° summer afternoons, 3″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 46.7; 15% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Bernie: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bernie, and how to reach them.
PowerUnion Electric13.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBernie PWSNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Bernie’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Missouri you can register online until 27 days before Election Day, in person until 27 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 27 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereStoddardStoddard County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code6382263822 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bernie.
HealthD
Bernie is less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns
That puts Bernie above both Missouri’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (14%). Bernie beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 30% of Bernie adults say their health is fair or poor.
6%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Bernie | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 22% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 30% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Missouri
0 better13 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Bernie | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 13% | 8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.5% | 13.7% |
| More smokers | 23.7% | 16% |
Mercy Hospital Stoddard
9.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A+
A typical Bernie home is worth about $118K
The typical Bernie home is worth about $118,000, up 7.1% in a year, 56% below the Missouri typical home. The median rent in Bernie is $768 a month.
$118KZillow home value
| Bernie | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $768 a month | $971 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 39% | 43% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Bernie$118K
Missouri$265K
+7.1%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Compared with most of Missouri and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Bernie is higher
Bernie’s FEMA risk score is 89 of 100.
89risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingTornadoes
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
76%of U.S. towns report more crimeA−Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Bernie0.5
Missouri4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Bernie5.5
Missouri16.9
U.S.15.5
76th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
1
violent crimes reported in 2025
10
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
With 0.6 jobs for every working resident, most of Bernie’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Bernie for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Bernie fell to 384 in 2023, 24 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Dexter (15%), Liberty Township (8%) and Poplar Bluff (4%).
10%work in town
| Bernie | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 13% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Bernie10%
Dexter15%
Liberty Township8%
Poplar Bluff4%
Malden4%
15 mi
median commute distance
384
jobs based in Bernie
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Bernie, expect mild winters and hot summers
Bernie has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Among 248 Missouri towns, just 9 have a higher July high than Bernie.
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter30–47°
Spring48–70°
Summer68–89°
Fall49–71°
Nov 3
typical first frost
Mar 29
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bernie
19pages on Bernie
The big questions
SchoolsABeat 90% of MO districtsSafetyA−0.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthDBetter than MO on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA+$118K typical home · up 7.1% in a yearWork & commuteD$48K median household income · 384 jobs hereNatural hazardsDFEMA risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities · earthquakes
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bernie; the nearest are
Three Rivers CollegeCommunity college · Public · Poplar Bluff26.4 mi$4,950 in-state tuitionSoutheast Missouri State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Cape Girardeau50.4 mi$9,903 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Bernie residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
About Bernie
City in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States
Bernie is a city in southern Stoddard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,859 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1890
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 302 ft
- ZIP code
- 63822
- Area code
- 573
Questions about Bernie
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bernie, MO expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.