Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cameron gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $250K, 3 years of the Kansas City metro’s $83K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 135th of 247 graded towns in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $62K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 77% of the country. 25% of working residents work locally in Cameron, above both the Missouri town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Among 247 Missouri towns, just 8 have a lower January low than Cameron. The biggest park or preserve is Cameron Community Park at Old Somerville, at 20 acres.
Where Cameron beats most towns.
9,933 counted in 2010 and 8,513 in 2020; an estimated 7,341 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 13.9% since 2020, after 14.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Cameron is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,428 in 1870, 8,513 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1918 and 2 maps from 1924 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cameron, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Cameron.
Cameron trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, fares better on crime within Missouri than nationally and trades workers with Kansas City and other neighbors.
19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Cameron. Cameron beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 41% of adults have obesity in Cameron.
| Cameron | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Cameron | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.3% | 15.8% |
| More smokers | 18.8% | 16% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 55.4% | 60.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Cameron R-I school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Cameron High, with 453 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkview Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 440 | – |
| Cameron HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 453 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
At 28.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 57% of Missouri’s graded towns.
The violent crime rate in Cameron is 3.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Cameron | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.2 per 1,000 residents | 12.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Cameron has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 18° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cameron has about as many jobs (2,865) as working residents, but only 791 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 4,047 in 2013 to 2,865.
About one in 4 of Cameron’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Cameron fell to 2,865 in 2023, 1,182 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Kansas City (13%), St.
| Cameron | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Cameron | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cameron Community Park at Old Somerville | 0.2 mi | 20 |
| 2. Recreation Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Cameron Soccer Complex | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (about $250K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 34 miles.
57% of Cameron households own their home. Typical home values rose 5% in the year to September 2026.
| Cameron | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,063 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Cameron; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Cameron residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
City in Missouri, United States
Cameron is a city in Clinton, DeKalb and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 8,513 at the 2020 census. The Clinton and Caldwell counties portion of Cameron are part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, while the DeKalb County portion is part of the St. Joseph, Missouri Metropolitan Area. The city as a whole is a part of the Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City Combined Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Cameron.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron | #135 | C+ | A | C | B+ | C− |
| Kidder Township | — | — | A+ | — | B | C− |
Kidder Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Kidder Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Cameron with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cameron grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #135 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C− for health, C for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
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.