Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fayette gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $230K, 3.2 years of the Columbia metro’s $72K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 72nd among Missouri's 247 graded towns. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 12 places on the National Register. Fayette’s median age is 22.8 years, below both Missouri’s towns (38.5 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). On hazard risk, just 4 of Missouri’s 419 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Alfred W. Morrison House and Central Methodist College Campus Historic District.
Where Fayette beats most towns.
Central Methodist College Campus Historic District
Census counts: 647 in 1860, 2,803 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1836 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Fayette is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fayette, 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 Fayette.
Fayette trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Missouri (mostly inland flooding), but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
31.9% of residents are enrolled in college, against 5.7% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
Adults 18 to 34 are 46% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 23% of residents (37% statewide). 13% of residents are 65 or older in Fayette. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Missouri.
| Fayette | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 22% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across Missouri, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Fayette | MO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.9% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 34.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.6% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.5% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.7% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.5% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.3% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.2% | 30.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.5% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.7% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.3% | 12.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,800, single groups can be off by several points
Its public schools are run by Fayette R-III. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurence J. Daly Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 324 | C+ |
| Fayette HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 188 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Missouri towns, with expected losses of about $710 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Fayette’s FEMA risk score is 21 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Fayette since 2026.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fayette has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 20° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Fayette’s working residents works in town. 17% of Fayette residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Columbia (24%), Boonville (4%) and Glasgow (3%).
| Fayette | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 13% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $230K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles.
Typical home values rose 6.5% in the year to September 2026.
| Fayette | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $947 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The nearest emergency room, University of Missouri Health Care, is 23.7 miles away in a straight line. Against the 8,220 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fayette’s, it is healthier than 84%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Fayette beats the Missouri average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
| Fayette | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Fayette | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 21.6% | 28.8% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.7% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Fayette City Park, at 29 acres.
| Fayette | 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. Fayette City Park | 0.3 mi | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Fayette
College town 32 of every 100 Fayette residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
2 colleges in town.
11 places in Fayette on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Fayette.
City in Missouri, United States
Fayette ( FAY-et) is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Area. The city's population was 2,803 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.
By most measures, yes. Fayette grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #72 of 247 in Missouri. It grades B for health and C 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.
18 notable people were born here, including Henry Smith Pritchett and Uriel Sebree.
