Fair PlayMO
A town of 452, settled in 1852. A regional job hub with 328 jobs.
Is Fair Play a good place to live?
Of the 248 Missouri towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Fair Play. Fair Play has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Fair Play stand out
Where Fair Play beats most towns.
452 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Fair Play: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fair Play, 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 Fair Play.
Fair Play has 1.7 jobs for every working resident, and 324 people commute in
Most working residents leave Fair Play for work: only 2% work in town. 23% of Fair Play residents live below the poverty line, against 14% in Missouri’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The median household income in Fair Play is $41,000.
| Fair Play | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The schools Fair Play’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by Fair Play R-II. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Play Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 212 | A |
| Fair Play HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 119 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts
Four seasons and hot summers in Fair Play
Fair Play has chilly winters and warm summers. At 89°F, Fair Play’s July high is close to Missouri’s towns (88°F) and above U.S. towns (85°F).
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Crime reported in Fair Play
6 crimes were reported in Fair Play in 2023: 4 property and 2 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Fair Play is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
How healthy Fair Play is
Fair Play beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 18% of Fair Play adults report frequent physical distress.
| Fair Play | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 30% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Fair Play | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26.8% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.1% | 8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.6% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Moderate risk in Fair Play, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes in Fair Play are worth about $265K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Fair Play home is worth about $265,000, up 5.5% in a year, close to the Missouri typical home. 46% of households own their home in Fair Play.
| Fair Play | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $938 a month | $971 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Fair Play
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Fair Play
About 3 of every 100 Fair Play residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
Every workday, about 324 people come to Fair Play for work
Where Fair Play’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Fair Play
City in Missouri, United States
Fair Play is a city in western Polk County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, Fair Play had a population of 422. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 981 ft
- ZIP code
- 65649
Questions about Fair Play
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fair Play, MO a good place to live?
Fair Play has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.