Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,767, laid out in 1857.
Centralia gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $280K, 3.9 years of the Columbia metro’s $72K median household income. It grades A− overall, 37th among Missouri's 247 graded towns. On the plus side, its public schools beat 76% of Missouri towns on state tests and graduation. 22% of working residents work locally in Centralia, where Missouri’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 8%. Centralia has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Chatol and Albert Bishop Chance House and Gardens. Only 8 of the 170 Missouri towns we compare have a lower rate of reported violence than Centralia.
Where Centralia beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Chance Elem. | PK–2 | 370 |
| Centralia Intermediate | 3–5 | 273 |
| Chester Boren Middle | 6–8 | 302 |
4,027 counted in 2010 and 4,541 in 2020; an estimated 4,767 in 2025.
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 Centralia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 703 in 1880, 4,541 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 3 maps from 1945 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Centralia, 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 Centralia.
Centralia pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
That grade comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $280K.
The largest public high school is Centralia High, with 398 students. Public schools: Centralia R-VI. Below: Two of its 4 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chance Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 370 | – |
| Centralia HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 398 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
The biggest park or preserve is Centralia City Recreation Park, at 31 acres. 1.2 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves locally: 4, covering 48 acres.
| Centralia | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Centralia City Recreation Park | 0.6 mi | 31 |
| 2. Nathan A. Toalson Bicentennial Park | 0.3 mi | 13 |
| 3. Jaycee Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 11.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 86% of Missouri’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 67 to 31 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property offense rate for Centralia comes to 6 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
A winter brings about 15 inches of snow, with January nights at 20° and July afternoons at 87°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Centralia has about as many jobs (1,758) as working residents, but only 445 people both live and work here.
Roughly one working resident in five has a job in Centralia itself. Since 2013, Centralia has added 192 jobs, to 1,758 in 2023. The top destinations are Columbia (39%), Mexico (4%) and Jefferson City (4%). The town’s typical journey to work stands at 21 minutes.
| Centralia | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among adults 25 and older, 34% have a four-year degree or more, against 32% across Missouri. Age groups here sit within 4 points of the Missouri average. Also worth knowing: since 2020, Centralia has grown 4.8%, to 4,767 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Centralia | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 22% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 40.9 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.6 points. Across Missouri, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Centralia | MO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.1% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.1% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.8% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.9% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.5% | 30.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.7% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.8% | 12.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,800, single groups can be off by several points
Homes are within reach (about $280K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 20 miles.
Homes in Centralia are typically worth about $280,000, up 5.3% in a year, 6% above the Missouri typical home. The town’s median rent comes in at $685 a month. On the market locally: a median 32 days to sell.
| Centralia | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $685 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The nearest emergency room, Boone Hospital Center, is 20.5 miles away in a straight line. Against the 10,141 U.S. towns with household incomes like Centralia’s, it is healthier than 68%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Centralia, 16% smoke cigarettes. This Missouri town tracks Missouri closely on all 32 CDC measures. Two figures for adults locally: 32% have obesity, 34% sleep under 7 hours.
| Centralia | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Compared with 50% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Centralia is higher. Expected losses in Centralia break down as 56% from inland flooding and 15% from tornadoes. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 8 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Centralia; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Centralia residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
2 places in Centralia on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Centralia.
City in Boone and Audrain counties in Missouri, United States
Centralia is a city in Boone County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,541 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 4,244 in 2018. A very small portion of the city lies in Audrain County. The Boone County portion of Centralia (which forms the majority of the city) is part of the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area, while a small part in Audrain County is part of the Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Centralia grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #37 of 247 in Missouri. It grades B− for health, B+ for safety and A− for schools.
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.
Centralia was laid out in 1857 and has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 6 notable people were born here, including Chester Starr and Josephine Conger-Kaneko.
