Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Odessa is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 3rd among Missouri's 247 graded towns. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 93% of U.S. towns, the median household earns $100K, and homes are within reach, about $262K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the Kansas City metro’s $83K median household income. Its lowest mark, a B, is in health. Only 9 of Missouri’s 419 towns score higher on hazard risk. Odessa's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 90% of U.S. towns. No town among the 170 in Missouri we compare has a lower property crime rate than Odessa.
Where Odessa beats most towns.
Where Odessa’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 Odessa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 100 in 1880, 5,593 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2013.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Odessa, 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 Odessa.
Odessa trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has less tooth loss than most of Missouri and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
Reported crimes fell from 40 to 2 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
Odessa’s violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents, where Missouri’s towns sit at 2.3 and U.S. towns at 1.6.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Odessa R-Vii school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Odessa High, with 651 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McQuerry ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 497 | – |
| Odessa HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 651 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Odessa for work: only 13% work in town. Odessa’s median household income is $100,000, above both Missouri’s towns ($62,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). 6.1% of Odessa residents live below the poverty line.
| Odessa | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $100,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 13% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Odessa has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 20° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Its widest gap with Missouri is tooth loss: 6.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 15.8% statewide. Against the 8,586 U.S. towns with household incomes like Odessa’s, it is less healthy than 58%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Odessa beats the Missouri average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 9.6% of adults have diabetes in Odessa.
| Odessa | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Odessa | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.8% | 15.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.2% | 13.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Missouri average. Odessa has grown 2.2% since 2020, to 5,721 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Missouri.
| Odessa | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 22% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 17% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Missouri, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Odessa | MO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.1% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.3% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.8% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.1% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.2% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32% | 30.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.6% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.9% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.7% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 12.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Homes are within reach (about $263K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles.
Typical home values rose 7.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Odessa | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 73% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,063 a month | $970 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Dyer Park, at 49 acres. Odessa’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Odessa | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dyer Park | 0.1 mi | 49 |
| 2. Chestnut Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Centennial Hills Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Odessa; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Odessa residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
City in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States
Odessa is the largest city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States, and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 5,593 at the 2020 census. Located along Interstate 70 Odessa's historic downtown is home to a range of boutique shops and restaurants. The city is host to the annual Puddle Jumper Days town fair, the Odessa Rodeo, a Christmas lighting ceremony and various other community events held throughout the year.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Odessa grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #3 of 247 in Missouri. It grades B for health, A for safety and B+ for schools.
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−.