Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lebanon grades D overall, ranked 231st of 247 in Missouri, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $48K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 6 places on the National Register. 53% of working residents work locally in Lebanon, where Missouri’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 8%. The biggest place to walk is Atchley Park, 61 acres with 1.3 miles of trail.
Where Lebanon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Lebanon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Lebanon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 341 in 1860, 15,013 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 2 maps from 1941 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lebanon, 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 Lebanon.
Lebanon draws workers from Springfield and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
12,228 jobs are based in Lebanon, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.4 minutes, against 23.5 across Missouri.
Lebanon’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Since 2013, Lebanon has added 1,884 jobs, to 12,228 in 2023. The top destinations are Springfield (4%), Jefferson City (2%) and Osage Beach (2%).
| Lebanon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Lebanon R-III. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lebanon SR. High, with 1,439 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 859 | C |
| Lebanon SR. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,439 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Against the 5,154 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lebanon’s, it is less healthy than 73%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
18% of Lebanon adults report frequent physical distress. Lebanon beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 35% of Lebanon adults get no exercise outside work.
| Lebanon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| What stands out | Lebanon | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.8% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.3% | 8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.1% | 13.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The violent crime rate in Lebanon is 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Lebanon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.9 per 1,000 residents | 12.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Lebanon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Atchley Park | 1.3 mi | 61 |
| 2. Nelson Park | 1 mi | 33 |
| 3. Harke Park | 0.6 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Lebanon has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 23° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Lebanon home is worth about $233,000, up 5.6% in a year, 12% below the Missouri typical home. 52% of households own their home in Lebanon.
| Lebanon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $809 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lebanon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Lebanon; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Lebanon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
6 places in Lebanon on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Lebanon.
City in Missouri, U.S.
Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Laclede County, Missouri, United States. The population was estimated at 15,013 at the time of the 2020 census. The Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Laclede County. The original name of Lebanon, Missouri was Wyota, named after the original Native Americans that settled in the area. Later, Reverend Benjamin Hooker changed the name to his hometown in Lebanon, Tennessee.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lebanon grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #231 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($53,282 across the Lebanon, MO area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
15 notable people were born here, including Mike Hopkins (astronaut) and Lanford Wilson.
