Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fulton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $250K for a typical one, or 3.4 years of the Jefferson City metro’s $74K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 122nd of 247 in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $51K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line, and its schools rank behind 76% of the state's. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 13 places on the National Register. 32% of working residents work locally in Fulton, against 13% in Missouri’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Westminster College Gymnasium and Westminster College Historic District. Fulton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Where Fulton beats most towns.
Westminster College Gymnasium
Westminster College Gymnasium is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,585 in 1870, 12,600 in 2020. The archive holds 36 old photos and papers going back to 1893 and 5 maps from 1928 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Fulton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fulton, 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 Fulton.
Fulton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Columbia and beyond, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
The biggest park or preserve is Veterans Park, at 34 acres. Walkers can cover 11 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. In Fulton, the trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Fulton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Davidson Leadership Plaza | 0.4 mi | 4 |
| 2. Veterans Park | 0.1 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Below: Two of its 14 schools, each with why it was picked. The public schools here belong to the Fulton 58 school district. The 5 public schools in Fulton teach 1,128 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 513 | C+ |
| Fulton SR. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 659 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
7,071 jobs are based in Fulton, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 9,502 in 2013 to 7,071.
Fulton had 7,071 jobs in 2023, down 2,431 from 2013. For Fulton, the typical journey to work is 18 minutes. The top destinations are Columbia (17%), Jefferson City (10%) and Mexico (2%).
| Fulton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.7% | 9% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The nearest emergency room, Boone Hospital Center, is 20.8 miles away in a straight line. Against the 6,280 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fulton’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Fulton, 18% binge drink. Against the Missouri average, Fulton comes out ahead on 2 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 5.
| Fulton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Fulton | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 25.5% | 28.8% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.6% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The range runs from 21° on a January night to 88° on a July afternoon, with about 19 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 82% of Missouri’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 143 to 49 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Only 9 of the 170 Missouri towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Fulton. Its rate of reported violence comes in at 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Fulton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 12.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected losses in Fulton break down as 48% from inland flooding and 13% from heat waves. The national flood insurance program has paid 34 claims locally since 1978. The town’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 43 of 100.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (about $250K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
Zillow values the typical Fulton home at about $250,000, up 6.7% in a year, 6% below the Missouri typical home. 48% of households are owner-occupiers locally. The going rate for rent here is $836 a month.
| Fulton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $836 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Fulton
About 12 of every 100 Fulton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
Where Fulton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
12 places in Fulton on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Fulton.
City in Missouri, United States
Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and 20 miles (32 km) east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,600 at the 2020 census. The city is home to two universities, Westminster College and William Woods University; the Missouri School for the Deaf; the Fulton State Hospital; and the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center state prison. Missouri's only nuclear power plant, the Callaway Plant is located 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Fulton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fulton grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #122 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C for health, B+ for safety and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
15 notable people were born here, including Helen Stephens and William F. Baker.
