Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Missouri town.
The best of Memphis’ subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and civic life and an A− for history; the weakest is a D for incomes. Only 1 of Missouri’s 390 towns score higher on civic life. Downing House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Memphis has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Memphis beats most towns.
Downing HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Memphis is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 183 in 1850, 1,731 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 3 maps from 1903 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Memphis, 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 Memphis.
Typical home values rose 3.2% in the year to September 2026. In Memphis, 72% of households are owner-occupiers, against 64% in Missouri’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
| Memphis | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $471 a month | $971 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The public schools here belong to the Scotland Co. R-I school district. Its two schools are below. 2 public schools serve Memphis, with 505 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland Co. Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 252 | C+ |
| Scotland Co. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 253 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
In Memphis, nearly a quarter of adults say their health is fair or poor, where Missouri’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 19%. Among adults here, 16% report frequent physical distress. Two figures for adults here: 32% get no exercise outside work, 15% binge drink.
| Memphis | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Memphis | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.3% | 8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.6% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The range runs from 16° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 19 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Roughly one working resident in three has a job in Memphis itself. Memphis’ mean commuting time stands at 16 minutes. The median commute is under 20 miles. The top destinations are Kirksville (5%), Centerville (3%) and Keosauqua (3%).
| Memphis | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 38% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 14% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Households in Memphis have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2008. Compared with 61% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is lower. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 53% come from heat waves and 16% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
There are 0.5 miles of trail across 4 parks and preserves. Memphis’ trail density comes in at 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Tiger Trail | — | 6 |
| 2. Johnson Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Legion Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Memphis; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Memphis residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
4 notable people were born in Memphis.
City in Missouri, U.S.
Memphis is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, on the northern border of Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,731. U.S. Highway 136 passes near Memphis, which is east of Lancaster and west of Kahoka.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Missouri town.
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+.
4 notable people were born here, including George Saling and Alexandre Hogue.
