Gill Bridge, Spanning Lick Creek at County Road 181
Perry’s story
160 years in pictures
Census counts: 147 in 1880, a peak of 976 in 1930, 665 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 2 maps from 1945 on.
- 1866Perry is settled
PerryMO
A town of 686, settled in 1866.
Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
Population
686
2025 Census estimate · +3% since 2020
Typical home
$239K
+6.6% in a year
Household income
$51K
median
Median age
45.3
years
Jobs based here
71
A commuter town
Is Perry a good place to live?
8.9% of residents are under 18 in Perry, against 23% in Missouri’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Only 3 of the 243 Missouri towns we compare have a lower median rent than Perry. Perry has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
686 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Perry: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Perry, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of PerryEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterCannon Pwsd 1No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Perry’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 hereRallsRalls County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code6346263462 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 Perry.
Work & commute
Perry has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Perry for work: only 2% work in town. 18% of Perry residents live below the poverty line, above both Missouri’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Jobs based in Perry fell to 71 in 2023, 67 fewer than in 2013.
2%work in town
| Perry | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 13% | 8% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Perry2%
Hannibal16%
Columbia7%
Mexico5%
Monroe City4%
27 mi
median commute distance
71
jobs based in Perry
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Perry has four seasons and pleasant summers
Perry has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87° and January nights drop to 19°.
87°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–39°
Spring43–64°
Summer64–85°
Fall45–66°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 11
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
87°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Crime reported in Perry
4 crimes were reported in Perry in 2024: 4 property and 0 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Perry is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
0
violent crimes reported in 2024
4
property crimes reported in 2024
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Health
How healthy Perry is
Perry beats the Missouri average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 42% of Perry adults have high blood pressure.
| Perry | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Missouri
1 better25 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Perry | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81% | 77.2% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9% | 6.8% |
Hannibal Regional Hospital
20.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
A typical Perry home is worth about $239K
The typical Perry home is worth about $239,000, up 6.6% in a year, 10% below the Missouri typical home.
$239KZillow home value
Typical home value
Perry$239K
Missouri$265K
+6.6%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
Moderate risk in Perry, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities.
54risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHeat wavesCold waves
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Perry has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 911 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bill Trower Memorial Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Perry Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Perry
19pages on Perry
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Perry; the nearest are
Hannibal-LaGrange UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Hannibal25 mi$26,880 tuitionJohn Wood Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Quincy, IL37.4 mi$5,700 in-state tuitionUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaUniversity or college · Public · Columbia49.1 mi$14,837 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Perry residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Perry for work
Where Perry’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
71jobs based in Perry
2%of working residents work in town
27 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Perry
City in Missouri, United States
Perry is a city in southwest Ralls County, Missouri, United States. The population was 665 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hannibal Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 696 ft
- ZIP code
- 63462
Questions about Perry
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Perry, MO a good place to live?
Perry has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.