Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hannibal gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $178K, 2.8 years of the Hannibal area’s $64K median household income. It grades C overall, 157th of 247 graded towns in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 31 places on the National Register. 45% of working residents work locally in Hannibal, where Missouri’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Mark Twain Historic District. Only 22 of Missouri’s 419 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Hannibal beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Mark Twain Boyhood Home is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,020 in 1850, 17,108 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1844 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
31 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Hannibal is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hannibal, 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 Hannibal.
Hannibal has seen reported crime fall by a third or more and has commutes shorter than most of Missouri, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
14 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. Hannibal’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Riverview Park, 236 acres with 1.4 miles of trail.
| Hannibal | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.1% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sodalis Park | 4.4 mi | 164 |
| 2. J. Thad Ray Memorial Wildlife Area | 2.1 mi | 161 |
| 3. Riverview Park | 1.4 mi | 236 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Hannibal 60 school district. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hannibal MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 674 | B |
| Hannibal SR. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,048 | C |
| Oakwood Elem.Top results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 272 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
34% of Hannibal adults get no exercise outside work. Hannibal beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 20% of Hannibal adults smoke cigarettes.
| Hannibal | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Hannibal | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 17.7% | 13.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.4% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 510 to 315 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Hannibal is 16 per 1,000 residents.
| Hannibal | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16 per 1,000 residents | 12.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
247 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1979, 247 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hannibal.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Hannibal home is worth about $178,000, up 3.1% in a year, 33% below the Missouri typical home. 62% of households own their home in Hannibal.
| Hannibal | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $805 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hannibal has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 19° and about 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 7,061 working residents takes 15.3 minutes, against 23.5 across Missouri.
Since 2013, Hannibal has lost 691 jobs, to 9,599 in 2023. The top destinations are Quincy (6%), Columbia (3%) and Palmyra (2%). Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Hannibal | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 9% | 11% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hannibal. Close and well known come first.
in town CaveMark Twain Cave
in town MuseumMark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
23 mi National Historic SiteNew Philadelphia National Historic Site
15 mi MuseumJohn Wood MansionMark Twain Cave: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2 · Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2 · New Philadelphia National Historic Site: Nyttend, Public domain · John Wood Mansion: Smallbones, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Hannibal
About 4 of every 100 Hannibal residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
5.1% of the town is conserved land, across 23 parks and preserves.
31 places in Hannibal on the National Register of Historic Places.
33 notable people were born in Hannibal.
City in Marion and Ralls counties in Missouri, United States
Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion and Ralls counties in Missouri, United States. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 17,108, making it the largest city in Marion County. The bulk of the city is in Marion County, with a tiny sliver in the south extending into Ralls County. Nestled on the Mississippi River, commerce and traffic has long been an integral part of Hannibal's development, including by river, rail and the interstate/highway system. Today the city is intersected by Interstate 72 and U.S. Routes 24, 36, and 61. Hannibal is approximately 110 miles (180 km) northwest of St. Louis (also bordering the Mississippi), 195 miles (314 km) east-northea…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hannibal.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hannibal grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #157 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
33 notable people were born here, including Margaret Brown and Cliff Edwards.
