Liquor store, 1979
Mountain View’s story
147 years in pictures
Census counts: 552 in 1910, 2,533 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1979 and 2 maps from 1945 on.
- 1879Mountain View is settled
Mountain ViewMO
A town of 2,661, settled in 1879.
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Population
2,661
2025 Census estimate · +1.4% since 2020
Typical home
$201K
+8% in a year
Household income
$39K
median
Median age
47.4
years
Jobs based here
1,004
Balanced
TownGrade
C−
#189 of 247 in MO
Is Mountain View a good place to live?
Mountain View gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $201K for a typical one, or 3.9 years of the West Plains area’s $51K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 189th of 247 in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $39K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Mountain View, against 14% in Missouri’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Of the 242 Missouri towns we compare, none has a lower rent at the middle of the market than Mountain View. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns.
What makes Mountain View stand out
Where Mountain View beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Typical home value
Mountain View$201K
Missouri$265K
Cost of livingA−
More affordable than 81% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
32 measures vs. Missouri
0 better15 too close to call17 worse
| Widest gap | Mountain View | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 30.7% | 15.8% |
Worth knowing · HealthD
Trails MO on 17 of 32 CDC measures, beats it on none
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
How Mountain View grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Mountain View is from typical.
Jobs & incomeD−Open →HealthMercy St. Francis Hospital 0.5 miles awayDOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.9 of 20; 13.1% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →SafetyC+Open →SchoolsBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailDOpen →HistoryCOpen →Civic life12.3 library visits per resident; 3.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market22 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 47.4; 12% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Mountain View: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mountain View, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of Mountain ViewEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterMountain View PWSNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers91% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Mountain View’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Missouri you can register online until 27 days before Election Day, in person until 27 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 27 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHowellHowell County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2017
ZIP code6554865548 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Mountain View.
Mountain View trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the Missouri rate.
HealthD
Mountain View earns a D for health
Against the 2,089 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mountain View’s, it is less healthy than 53%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
36% of Mountain View adults get no exercise outside work. Mountain View: nearly a fifth of adults report frequent physical distress.
9%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Mountain View | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 30% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Missouri
0 better15 too close to call17 worse
| What stands out | Mountain View | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 30.7% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.7% | 8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.1% | 13.7% |
Mercy St. Francis Hospital
0.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
18th
percentile among MO towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB
Public schools in Mountain View beat 59% of Missouri districts
Its public schools are run by Mountain View-Birch Tree R-III. Enrollment at the town’s public school: 396 students.
59%of MO districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 396 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A−
Mountain View earns an A− for cost of living
Homes are within reach (about $201K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 20 miles. Home values rose 43% in five years, to about $201K, against 26% across Missouri.
Home values are up 8% over the year to September 2026. A home in Mountain View typically sold within 22 days of listing. Also worth knowing: 60% of households are owner-occupiers here.
$201KZillow home value
Typical home value
Mountain View$201K
Missouri$265K
Market temperature
22
days on market
+8%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers: that is Mountain View’s year
In July, afternoons reach 88°; in January, nights fall to 23°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
6″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter26–47°
Spring44–68°
Summer64–86°
Fall45–69°
Oct 27
typical first frost
Apr 7
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsD
0% of Mountain View is conserved land
Just 0 of its 2,414 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Mountain View itself; its outdoors grade is D.
1.1 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. Mountain View has one park or preserve, 3 acres in all. Its trail network density comes in at 0.3 miles per square mile.
#111for trails in MO
0%
conserved · 0 of 2,414 acres
1.1 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Mountain View has 1.2 jobs for every working resident, and 810 people commute in
Jobs based here fell from 1,308 in 2013 to 1,004.
About one worker in four stays in Mountain View for work. Jobs based here fell to 1,004 in 2023, 304 fewer than in 2013. Its typical journey to work comes in at 18 minutes. The top destinations are West Plains (14%), Springfield (9%) and Willow Springs (3%).
23%work in town
| Mountain View | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 13% | 8% |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Mountain View23%
West Plains14%
Springfield9%
Willow Springs3%
Winona2%
20 mi
median commute distance
1,004
jobs based in Mountain View
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SafetyC+
More crime per resident in Mountain View than in 62% of U.S. towns
Mountain View’s violent offense rate is 4.1 per 1,000 residents. The property offense rate for Mountain View comes to 9.3 per 1,000 residents.
38%of U.S. towns report more crimeC+Safety Grade
| Mountain View | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.3 per 1,000 residents | 12.5 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Mountain View4.1
Missouri4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Mountain View9.3
Missouri16.9
U.S.15.5
38th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
49th
percentile among MO towns
11
violent crimes reported in 2025
25
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Mountain View faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
For Mountain View, the risk rating from FEMA is 62 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 49% come from inland flooding and 17% from earthquakes. Since 2017, one flood insurance claim has been paid here.
62risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 2017
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mountain View
18pages on Mountain View
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 59% of MO districts · 1 schoolSafetyC+4.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthDBetter than MO on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$201K typical home · up 8% in a yearWork & commuteD−$39K median household income · 1,004 jobs hereNatural hazardsCFEMA risk higher than 62% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Mountain View; the nearest are
Missouri State University-West PlainsCommunity college · Public · West Plains20.2 mi$5,936 in-state tuitionMissouri University of Science and TechnologyUniversity or college · Public · Rolla66.5 mi$14,984 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Mountain View residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
About Mountain View
City in Howell County, Missouri, United States
Mountain View is a city in northeastern Howell County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,533 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,142 ft
- ZIP code
- 65548
- Area code
- 417
Questions about Mountain View
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mountain View, MO a good place to live?
Mountain View grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #189 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−.
Is Mountain View, MO expensive?
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−.