Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mexico gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $184K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the Mexico area’s $59K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 174th of 247 in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $51K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 89% of the country. On the plus side, 4% of its land is conserved. 40% of working residents work locally in Mexico, against 13% in Missouri’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Mexico has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Ross House and Audrain County Courthouse.
Where Mexico beats most towns.
Ross HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Mexico is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 960 in 1860, 11,469 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 3 maps from 1932 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mexico, 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 Mexico.
Mexico trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
The nearest emergency room, Boone Hospital Center, is 28 miles away in a straight line.
35% of adults get no exercise outside work in Mexico. Mexico beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Mexico.
| Mexico | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 30% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Mexico | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.7% | 3.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.7% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Mexico 59 school district. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Mexico High, with 734 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 461 | C |
| Mexico HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 734 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $184K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. Home values rose 42% in five years, to about $184K, against 26% across Missouri.
Mexico’s median rent is $686 a month. Typical home values rose 7.1% in the year to September 2026.
| Mexico | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $686 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4.2 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. Green Estates, at 88 acres with 1.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Mexico | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Green Estates | 1.7 mi | 88 |
| 2. Dorcas Park | 0.4 mi | 9 |
| 3. Lakeview Park | 0.2 mi | 64 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Mexico has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 20° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average trip to work in Mexico is 19 minutes. The top destinations are Columbia (14%), Jefferson City (4%) and Centralia (3%).
| Mexico | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mexico.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Mexico; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Mexico residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
3 places in Mexico on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Missouri, U.S.
Mexico, formerly known as New Mexico, is a city in and the county seat of Audrain County, Missouri, United States. It is home to the Missouri Military Academy and annually hosts the Miss Missouri Pageant. The city's population was 11,469 at the 2020 census. The micropolitan statistical area consists of Audrain County. It is a part of the Columbia, Missouri metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mexico grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #174 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D for health and C for schools. Jobs & income 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.
