Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Kirksville gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $157K, 2.5 years of the Kirksville area’s $61K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 119th of 247 in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $50K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line, and it reports more crime per resident than 81% of U.S. towns, including 59 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Kirksville, above both Missouri’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Capt. Thomas C. Harris House and Adair County Courthouse. Among 247 Missouri towns, just 2 have a lower July high than Kirksville.
Where Kirksville beats most towns.
Capt. Thomas C. Harris House
Census counts: 658 in 1860, 17,530 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 3 maps from 1938 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Kirksville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kirksville, 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 Kirksville.
Kirksville is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
27.6% of residents are enrolled in college, against 5.7% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
Kirksville’s median age is 24.8 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 44% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 25% of residents (37% statewide). 13% of Kirksville residents are 65 or older.
| Kirksville | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 24.8 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 22% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 17% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across Missouri, 50.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 24.9, men 24.7.
| Kirksville | MO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.8% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 32% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.5% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.2% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.9% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32% | 30.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.6% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.1% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.7% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 22.6% | 12.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its public schools are run by Kirksville R-III. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Kirksville SR. High, with 791 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirksville PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 539 | – |
| Kirksville SR. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 791 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 554 to 375 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Kirksville is 17.6 per 1,000 residents. Kirksville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 81% report less. The violent crime rate in Kirksville is 3.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Kirksville | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.6 per 1,000 residents | 12.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.5 years of the Kirksville area’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $157K) costs less against local pay than in 79% of Missouri towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
48% of households own their home in Kirksville. The typical Kirksville home is worth about $157,000, up 2.8% in a year, 41% below the Missouri typical home.
| Kirksville | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $775 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 41% | 43% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Kirksville has chilly winters and warm summers. Among 247 Missouri towns, just 3 have a lower January low than Kirksville.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 5,789 working residents takes 12.7 minutes, against 23.5 across Missouri.
49% of Kirksville’s working residents work right in town. Jobs based in Kirksville fell to 7,005 in 2023, 1,453 fewer than in 2013. Among 247 Missouri towns, just 5 have a lower average trip to work than Kirksville.
| Kirksville | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 49% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.7% | 9% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kirksville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.3 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is North Park, at 61 acres.
| Kirksville | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Park | 0.5 mi | 61 |
| 2. Convservation Department & Smokey Park | 0.5 mi | 25 |
| 3. Rotary Park | 0.3 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 5,819 U.S. towns with household incomes like Kirksville’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Only 5 of the 247 Missouri towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Kirksville. Kirksville beats the Missouri average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Kirksville | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 37% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Kirksville | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.2% | 12.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.4% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Kirksville
College town 28 of every 100 Kirksville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
2 colleges in town.
16 places in Kirksville on the National Register of Historic Places.
23 notable people were born in Kirksville.
City in Missouri, U.S.
Kirksville is the county seat of and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri, United States. Located in Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 census. Kirksville is home to three colleges: Truman State University, Moberly Area Community College, and A.T. Still University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Kirksville grades B− overall, better than 47% of U.S. towns and #119 of 247 in Missouri. It grades B− for health, C− for safety and B 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.
23 notable people were born here, including Geraldine Page and Gordon Bell.
