Center TownshipMO
A town of 9,550. 39% more nonprofits per person than the typical Missouri town.
Is Center Township a good place to live?
Center Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $149K, 2.9 years of the county’s $52K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 173rd of 247 in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country, and the median household income is $50K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. 39% of working residents work locally in Center Township, against 13% in Missouri’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Center Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 89% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Little Osage Prairie Conservation Area, at 79 acres.
What makes Center Township stand out
Where Center Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
How Center Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Center Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Center Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Center Township, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Center Township.
Center Township is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Missouri.
Center Township earns a D for health
Against the 5,785 U.S. towns with household incomes like Center Township’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Center Township. Center Township beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Center Township.
| Center Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Center Township | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.8% | 8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| More smokers | 19.9% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On state tests, Center Township’s schools trail 58% of Missouri districts
Its public schools are run by the Nevada R-V school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Nevada High, with 754 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truman Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 512 | C |
| Nevada HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 754 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
In Center Township, expect four seasons and hot summers
Center Township has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Center Township is 90°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About two in five of Center Township’s working residents commute to Nevada
The average commute for its 3,796 working residents takes 15.7 minutes, against 23.5 across Missouri.
About one in 3 of Center Township’s working residents works in town. Center Township’s average trip to work is 16 minutes. Since 2013, Center Township has lost 677 jobs, to 4,743 in 2023.
| Center Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 9% | 11% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Center Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Little Osage Prairie Conservation Area | — | 79 |
| 2. Twin Lakes Park | — | 74 |
| 3. Fall Creek Park | — | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Center Township
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Center Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Center Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Center Township
About 6 of every 100 Center Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
About Center Township
Township in the US state of Missouri
Center Township is a township in Vernon County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. Center Township was erected in 1855, and named for the fact the geographical center point of Vernon County lies within its borders.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Center Township’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Center Township.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | #173 | C− | B | — | C+ | D |
| Washington Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | D |
| Badger Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Deerfield Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Drywood Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | C− |
| Moundville Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nevada | #217 | D | B+ | D | C+ | D |
| Walker Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Washington Township and Drywood Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Center Township, Washington Township and Drywood Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Badger Township, Deerfield Township, Moundville Township and Walker Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Center Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Center Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Center Township, MO a good place to live?
Center Township grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #173 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D for health and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Center Township, MO expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.