Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Moberly earns a D, ranked 216th of 247 in Missouri, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $44K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. 39% of working residents work locally in Moberly, above both the Missouri town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On hazard risk, just 33 of Missouri’s 419 towns do better. Moberly is home to Moberly Area Community College.
Where Moberly beats most towns.
Burkholder-O'Keefe House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Moberly Area Community College | 3,288 |
| Central Christian College of the Bible | 125 |
2 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Moberly is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,514 in 1870, 13,783 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Moberly, 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 Moberly.
9.3 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. Rothwell Park, at 417 acres with 4.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. The trail density in Moberly is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Moberly | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rothwell Park | 4.8 mi | 417 |
| 2. West 43 Wilderness Area | 2.5 mi | 43 |
| 3. Shepherd Field | 0.4 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Moberly school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Moberly SR. High, with 655 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moberly MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 440 | B− |
| Moberly SR. HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 655 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Against the 3,725 U.S. towns with household incomes like Moberly’s, it is less healthy than 60%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Moberly. Moberly beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 34% of adults get no exercise outside work in Moberly.
| Moberly | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Moberly | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.8% | 15.8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.7% | 13.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.4% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Moberly home is worth about $161,000, up 3.9% in a year, 39% below the Missouri typical home. Moberly’s median rent is $774 a month.
| Moberly | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $774 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 lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Moberly.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Moberly has chilly winters and warm summers. Among 247 Missouri towns, just 9 have a lower July high than Moberly.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Moberly’s working residents works in town. 5.5% of Moberly workers work from home. The top destinations are Columbia (17%), Jefferson City (4%) and Huntsville (2%).
| Moberly | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5.5% | 9% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Moberly's reported crime rate is below Missouri's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 42 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Moberly | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 10.2 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
2 within 15 miles of the center of Moberly
About 4 of every 100 Moberly residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
5 places in Moberly on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Moberly.
City in Randolph County, Missouri, United States
Moberly is a city in Randolph County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,783 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Columbia metropolitan area and the 9-county Columbia–Jefferson City–Moberly combined statistical area that has 415,747 residents.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Moberly grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #216 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($53,033 across the Moberly, 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.
17 notable people were born here, including Brent Briscoe and John Bailey.
