Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,532, platted in 1856. 3.7 times the library visits per person than the typical Missouri town.
Macon gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $186K for a typical one, or 3 years of the county’s $62K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 128th of 247 in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 87% of the state's. 43% of working residents work locally in Macon, above both the Missouri town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 8 of Missouri’s 390 towns score higher on civic life. The biggest park or preserve is Macon County Fairgrounds, at 45 acres.
Where Macon beats most towns.
Where Macon’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 Macon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 837 in 1860, 5,457 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Macon, 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 Macon.
Macon draws workers from Kirksville and beyond, fares better on crime within Missouri than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
3,208 jobs are based in Macon, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The average trip to work in Macon is 18 minutes. The top destinations are Moberly (9%), Kirksville (3%) and Columbia (3%). Half commute less than 17 miles.
| Macon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 14% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Macon Co. R-I school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Macon Senior High, with 390 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macon ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 509 | B+ |
| Macon Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 390 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Macon’s median rent is $680 a month. Typical home values rose 4.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Macon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $680 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 9,317 U.S. towns with household incomes like Macon’s, it is less healthy than 50%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Missouri it is healthier than 53% of the 247 graded towns: much of Missouri scores lower on these measures.
Macon beats the Missouri average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 39% of Macon adults have high blood pressure.
| Macon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Macon | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 77.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Macon has chilly winters and warm summers. Only 6 of the 247 Missouri towns we compare have a lower July high than Macon.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Macon | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blees Park | 0.6 mi | 41 |
| 2. Macon County Fairgrounds | 0.2 mi | 45 |
| 3. Macon Lake Park | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Macon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 19.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 61% of Missouri’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Macon; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Macon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
3 places in Macon on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Macon.
City in Missouri, U.S.
Macon is a city in and the county seat of Macon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,457 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Macon grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #128 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C for health, B− for safety and D for schools. Schools 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.
Macon was platted in 1856 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 9 notable people were born here, including Henderson Forsythe and James P. Kem.
