Watkins Mill, County Highway MM
Lawson’s story
156 years in pictures
Census counts: 223 in 1880, 2,541 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
- 1870Lawson is founded
LawsonMO
A town of 2,541, founded in 1870. Public schools that outperform most of Missouri.
Watkins Mill · Photo: Watkins_Mill,_County_Highway_MM,_Lawson_vicinity_(Clay_County,_Missouri).jpg: Jet Lowe, Photographer derivative work: Kbh3rd · Public domain
Population
2,541
2025 Census estimate · +0.6% since 2020
Typical home
$308K
+4.9% in a year
Household income
$66K
median
Median age
32.8
years
Jobs based here
427
A commuter town
TownGrade
A−
#53 of 247 in MO
Is Lawson a good place to live?
Lawson gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $308K for a typical one, or 3.7 years of the Kansas City metro’s $83K median household income. It grades A− overall, 53rd of 247 graded towns in Missouri. On the plus side, its schools outperform 86% of the state's. 33% of residents are under 18 in Lawson, against 23% in Missouri’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 39 of Missouri’s 419 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Lawson City Lake, at 113 acres.
What makes Lawson stand out
Where Lawson beats most towns.
LAWSON R-XIV schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Elem. | PK–4 | 439 |
| Lawson Middle | 5–8 | 342 |
| Lawson High | 9–12 | 362 |
SchoolsA
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Typical home value
Lawson$308K
Missouri$265K
Cost of livingA−
More affordable than 79% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Lawson for work
Where Lawson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
427jobs based in Lawson
6%of working residents work in town
27 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Lawson grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Lawson is from typical.
SchoolsAOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →HealthExcelsior Springs Hospital 5 miles awayCOpen →SafetyB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 49% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8 of 20; 1.5% of households have no car; 0.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & income$66K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailB−Open →HistoryC−Open →Civic life2.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market126 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 32.8; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lawson: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lawson, and how to reach them.
PowerUnion Electric13.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMo American Lawson water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lawson’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Missouri you can register online until 27 days before Election Day, in person until 27 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 27 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereRayRay County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2022
ZIP code6406264062 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lawson.
Lawson pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and fares better on crime within Missouri than nationally.
SchoolsA
Lawson earns an A for schools
Its A for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $308K.
Its public schools are run by the Lawson R-Xiv school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lawson High, with 362 students.
86%of MO districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 439 | A |
| Lawson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 362 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Lawson has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Lawson for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Lawson has lost 57 jobs, to 427 in 2023. The top destinations are Kansas City (22%), Excelsior Springs (9%) and Liberty (9%).
6%work in town
| Lawson | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5.8% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Lawson6%
Kansas City22%
Excelsior Springs9%
Liberty9%
Claycomo4%
27 mi
median commute distance
427
jobs based in Lawson
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
On CDC estimates, Lawson is less healthy than 71% of U.S. towns
Lawson tracks Missouri closely on all 32 CDC measures. 31% of adults get no exercise outside work in Lawson.
29%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Lawson | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Missouri
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Excelsior Springs Hospital
5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
48th
percentile among MO towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsB−
Lawson has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
1.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
#98for trails in MO
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,941 acres
1.1 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lawson City Lake | 0.9 mi | 113 |
| 2. Lawson City Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SafetyB+
Crime per resident in Lawson is lower than in 68% of U.S. towns
At 11.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 86% of Missouri’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 42 to 16 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lawson’s property crime rate is 5.6 per 1,000 residents.
68%of U.S. towns report more crimeB+Safety Grade
| Lawson | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.6 per 1,000 residents | 12.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Lawson0.8
Missouri4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Lawson5.6
Missouri16.9
U.S.15.5
68th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
86th
percentile among MO towns
2
violent crimes reported in 2025
14
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Lawson
Lawson has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 19° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
19″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–40°
Spring43–64°
Summer65–85°
Fall45–66°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 19
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade A−
Lawson earns an A− for cost of living
Homes are within reach (about $308K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles.
Typical home values rose 4.9% in the year to September 2026.
$308KZillow home value
| Lawson | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 72% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,005 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Lawson$308K
Missouri$265K
Market temperature
126
days on market
+4.9%
value change, 1 year
7
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Lawson
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lawson.
49risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
paid flood claims since 1998
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lawson
19pages on Lawson
The big questions
SchoolsABeat 86% of MO districts · 3 schoolsSafetyB+0.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthCBetter than MO on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$308K typical home · up 4.9% in a yearWork & commuteB−$66K median household income · 427 jobs hereNatural hazardsB+FEMA risk higher than 49% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lawson; the nearest are
William Jewell CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Liberty16.4 mi$20,610 tuitionMetropolitan Community College-Kansas CityCommunity college · Public · Kansas City32 mi$3,630 in-state tuitionUniversity of Missouri-Kansas CityUniversity or college · Public · Kansas City33.7 mi$12,587 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Lawson residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
About Lawson
City in Ray and Clay counties in Missouri, United States
Lawson is a city in Clay and Ray counties in Missouri, United States, that is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 2,541 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,066 ft
- ZIP code
- 64062
- Area code
- 816
Questions about Lawson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lawson, MO a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Lawson grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #53 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C for health, B+ for safety and A for schools.
Is Lawson, MO expensive?
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−.