Eldon Motel, 1980
Eldon’s story
145 years in pictures
Census counts: 379 in 1900, 4,416 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1980 and 5 maps from 1904 on.
- 1881Eldon is settled
EldonMO
A town of 4,785, settled in 1881. Public schools that outperform most of Missouri.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
Population
4,785
2025 Census estimate · +9.4% since 2020
Typical home
$193K
+1.1% in a year
Household income
$42K
median
Median age
44.3
years
Jobs based here
2,426
Balanced
TownGrade
B−
#107 of 247 in MO
Is Eldon a good place to live?
Eldon gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $193K for a typical one, or 3.4 years of the county’s $57K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 107th of 247 in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $42K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, its schools outperform 76% of the state's. On hazard risk, just 15 of Missouri’s 419 towns do better. Eldon's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 87% of U.S. towns. Only 5 of the 170 Missouri towns we compare have a lower property offense rate than Eldon.
What makes Eldon stand out
Where Eldon beats most towns.
How Eldon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Eldon is from typical.
HealthLake Regional Health System 17 miles awayC−Open →Jobs & income2,426 jobs based hereC−Open →SchoolsA−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.4 of 20; 8.3% of households have no car; 2.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →Cost of livingB+Open →SafetyBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksCOpen →History2 notable people born hereCOpen →Civic life2.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 44.3; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Eldon: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Eldon, and how to reach them.
PowerUnion Electric13.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEldon PWS3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Eldon’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 hereMillerMiller County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code6502665026 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 Eldon.
Eldon pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Missouri (mostly inland flooding).
HealthC−
Eldon’s grade for health is a C−
Against the 2,911 U.S. towns with household incomes like Eldon’s, it is healthier than 64%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Eldon, 39% have high blood pressure, above both the Missouri town median (37%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). The share of adults in Eldon who get no exercise outside work: 33%.
17%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Eldon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Missouri
0 better25 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Eldon | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.5% | 3.6% |
Lake Regional Health System
17 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
35th
percentile among MO towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsA−
Eldon’s grade for schools is an A−
That grade comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $193K.
Public schools: the Eldon R-I school district. The largest public high school is Eldon High, with 597 students. Three of its 7 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
76%of MO districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 552 | B |
| Eldon HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 597 | B+ |
| Eldon Upper Elem.Top results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 475 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
The biggest natural risk in Eldon is inland flooding, at a low overall level
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of Missouri towns; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
The risk rating from FEMA in Eldon is 24 of 100. 11 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1985. Expected losses in Eldon break down as 28% from inland flooding and 20% from tornadoes. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 7 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
24risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHeat waves
11
paid flood claims since 1985
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade B+
Eldon’s grade for cost of living is a B+
Homes are within reach (about $193K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. The median property tax bill is $769, against $1,948 across Missouri, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Homes in Eldon are typically worth about $193,000, up 1.1% in a year, 27% below the Missouri typical home. The town’s midpoint rent stands at $822 a month. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 69%.
$193KZillow home value
| Eldon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $822 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Eldon$193K
Missouri$265K
+1.1%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Mild winters and pleasant summers: that is Eldon’s year
Expect July afternoons of 88° and January nights of 23°, with about 4 inches of snow a winter.
4″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter25–44°
Spring45–67°
Summer66–86°
Fall47–68°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 7
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
With 1.3 jobs for every working resident, Eldon draws in 2,058 commuters
Among working residents in Eldon, 19% work locally, above both Missouri’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (8%). The town’s average commute comes in at 21 minutes. The top destinations are Jefferson City (15%), Osage Beach (9%) and Lake Ozark (4%). In Eldon, 6.4% of workers do their job from home.
19%work in town
| Eldon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 9% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Eldon19%
Jefferson City15%
Osage Beach9%
Lake Ozark4%
Aurora Springs3%
22 mi
median commute distance
2,426
jobs based in Eldon
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SafetyB
Crime per resident in Eldon is lower than in 62% of U.S. towns
At 13.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 80% of Missouri’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 61 to 18 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
In Eldon, the violent offense rate is 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
62%of U.S. towns report more crimeBSafety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Eldon0.8
Missouri4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Eldon2.9
Missouri16.9
U.S.15.5
62nd
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
80th
percentile among MO towns
4
violent crimes reported in 2025
14
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Eldon
19pages on Eldon
The big questions
SchoolsA−Beat 76% of MO districts · 7 schoolsSafetyB0.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than MO on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingB+$193K typical home · up 1.1% in a yearWork & commuteC−$42K median household income · 2,426 jobs hereNatural hazardsB+FEMA risk higher than 24% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Eldon; the nearest are
Lincoln UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Jefferson City26.6 mi$9,796 in-state tuitionState Technical College of MissouriCommunity college · Public · Linn42.1 mi$8,160 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Eldon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
About Eldon
City in Missouri, United States
Eldon is a city in Miller County, Missouri, United States, located 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Jefferson City. The population was 4,416 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 925 ft
- ZIP code
- 65026
Eldon’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Eldon.
Aurora SpringsEldon
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eldon | #107 | B− | B+ | B | A− | C− |
| Aurora Springs | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Aurora Springs isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Eldon with a neighbor →
Questions about Eldon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Eldon, MO a good place to live?
Eldon grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #107 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C− for health, B for safety and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Eldon, 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 B+.
What is Eldon, MO known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Jim Golden and Lloyd Dane.