Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,851, platted in 1873.
Dexter gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $168K, 2.9 years of the county’s $58K median household income. It grades C overall, 146th of 247 graded towns in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. On the plus side, its public schools beat 76% of Missouri towns on state tests and graduation. 33% of working residents work locally in Dexter, above both Missouri’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (8%). Dexter Gymnasium is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Dexter beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Dexter is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 489 in 1880, 7,927 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 4 maps from 1934 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dexter, 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 Dexter.
22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Dexter. Dexter beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 18% of adults report frequent physical distress in Dexter.
| Dexter | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Dexter | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.8% | 8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22% | 15.8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 18.7% | 13.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1991, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dexter.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dexter’s median rent is $765 a month. The typical Dexter home is worth about $168,000, up 2.3% in a year, 37% below the Missouri typical home. 60% of Dexter households own their home.
| Dexter | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $765 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 32.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 64% of Missouri’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 226 to 107 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Dexter has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Dexter is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Dexter’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Dexter fell to 4,608 in 2023, 760 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Sikeston (7%), Poplar Bluff (6%) and Dudley (4%).
| Dexter | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is East Park, at 26 acres.
| Dexter | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dexter City Park | 0.4 mi | 10 |
| 2. East Park | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Dexter; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Dexter residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
5 notable people were born in Dexter.
City in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States
Dexter is a city in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States, founded in 1873. The population was 7,927 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dexter grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #146 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D for health, C− for safety and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
Dexter was platted in 1873 and has 1 place on the National Register of Historic Places. 5 notable people were born here, including Andrew J. Hinshaw and Max West.
