Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 15,432: a town settled in 1940.
Mostly strong, with a single weak spot. Its strongest is health: it is healthier than 84% of U.S. towns. Add walkability to its strengths — it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost of living — the typical home is worth about , years of the Fort Leonard Wood area’s $64K median household income. Overall, that makes a B, good for 86th of 247 in Missouri. That leaves it better than 62% of U.S. towns. The town’s average trip to work is 9 minutes, below both Missouri’s towns (22 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 24 of Missouri’s 419 towns score lower on history.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Fort Leonard Wood beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Fort Leonard Wood | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.1% | 8.6% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Partridge Elem. | K–5 | 375 |
| Wood Elem. | K–5 | 295 |
| Thayer Elem. | K–5 | 242 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Fort Leonard Wood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 33,799 in 1970, 15,959 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 5 maps from 1942 on.
Fort Leonard Wood is unincorporated, so Pulaski County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Fort Leonard Wood.
Fort Leonard Wood has less cancer than most of Missouri, trades workers with Springfield and other neighbors and is mostly renters.
Only 0% of households own their home, against 68.1% across Missouri.
Adults 18 to 34 are 75% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 8% of residents (37% statewide). 17% of residents are under 18 in Fort Leonard Wood.
| Fort Leonard Wood | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 20.5 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 22% | 29% |
35% women, 65% men
About 183 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.1 points). Across Missouri, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 72% are men (MO 51%). Median age: women 20.5, men 20.5.
| Fort Leonard Wood | MO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.1% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 54.4% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 20.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.7% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 2% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 0.6% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 0.2% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 0.1% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.7% | 30.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 34.3% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.5% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.5% | 12.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Waynesville R-VI runs its public schools. Two of the 4 schools are below, and why each made the list. The 4 public schools in Fort Leonard Wood teach 1,206 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partridge Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 375 | B+ |
| Thayer Elem.Top results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 242 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
In Fort Leonard Wood, the trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Fort Leonard Wood | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Missouri is cancer: 1.1% of its 13,511 adults have had cancer, against 8.6% statewide.
Among 247 Missouri towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Fort Leonard Wood. The share of adults in Fort Leonard Wood who have diabetes: 2.4%. Also worth knowing: the town beats the Missouri average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. Two figures for adults locally: 7.7% report frequent physical distress, 25% binge drink.
| Fort Leonard Wood | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 2.4% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 7.7% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Fort Leonard Wood | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.1% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 1.1% | 6.8% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 30.9% | 77.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For Fort Leonard Wood, the midsummer high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fort Leonard Wood has about as many jobs (2,076) as working residents, but only 134 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 9 minutes, against 23.5 across Missouri.
Fort Leonard Wood had 2,076 jobs in 2023, up 174 from 2013. No town among the 247 in Missouri we compare has a lower average trip to work than Fort Leonard Wood. 7.2% of Fort Leonard Wood residents live below the poverty line. Half the trips to work are shorter than 84 miles.
| Fort Leonard Wood | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 9 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.9% | 13% | 8% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA puts 26% of Fort Leonard Wood’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 22% to inland flooding. Compared with 64% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is lower.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Fort Leonard Wood; the nearest are
About 14 of every 100 Fort Leonard Wood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
7 notable people were born in Fort Leonard Wood.
U.S. Army training post in the Missouri Ozarks
Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of the city of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard Wood (former Chief of Staff) in January 1941. Originally intended to train infantry troops, in 1941 it became an engineer training post with the creation of the Engineer Replacement Training Center. During World War II Italian and German POWs were interned at the fort. In 1984, as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process, most of the U.S. Army Engineer School's operations were consolidated at Fort Leonard Wood. Before that, officer training was co…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Fort Leonard Wood.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Leonard Wood | #86 | B | C | — | B+ | A− |
| St. Robert | #153 | C | C+ | — | B+ | C+ |
Fort Leonard Wood and St. Robert report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Fort Leonard Wood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Fort Leonard Wood grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #86 of 247 in Missouri. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools.
7 notable people were born here, including Mike Coffman and Robert ParkeHarrison.
