Bridge Over Creek 01, 2008
Seneca’s story
157 years in pictures
Census counts: 285 in 1870, 2,230 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
- 1869Seneca is settled
SenecaMO
Photo: TheWhitePelican · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,343
2025 Census estimate · +4.2% since 2020
Typical home
$222K
+5.1% in a year
Household income
$46K
median
Median age
39.9
years
Jobs based here
559
A commuter town
Is Seneca a good place to live?
Seneca’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and a B+ for schools; its weakest is a D for incomes. Only 9 of Missouri’s 419 towns score lower on hazard risk. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. Among 248 Missouri towns, just 1 have a higher July high than Seneca. Seneca has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Seneca stand out
Where Seneca beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Typical home value
Seneca$222K
Missouri$265K
Cost of livingA−
3.6 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 76% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1869
A long history
A history going back 157 years.
Worth knowing · Natural hazardsD
Inland flooding and tornadoes at the top
FEMA National Risk Index.
A commuter town
90% of working residents leave Seneca for work
Where Seneca’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
559jobs based in Seneca
10%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Seneca grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Seneca is from typical.
Jobs & income$46K median household incomeDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →HealthFreeman Neosho Hospital 13.4 miles awayDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.8 of 20; 5.9% of households have no car; 0.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →SafetyCOpen →SchoolsB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksDOpen →History2 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life1.9 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 market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.9; 7% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Seneca: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Seneca, and how to reach them.
PowerNew-Mac Electric Coop13.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSeneca PWSNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers51% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Seneca’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 hereNewtonNewton County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2015
ZIP code6486564865 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 Seneca.
HealthD
For health, Seneca earns a D
20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Seneca, against 17% in Missouri’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 34% of adults get no exercise outside work in Seneca. Seneca beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
10%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Seneca | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Missouri
0 better20 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Seneca | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 17.6% | 13.7% |
| More smokers | 20.2% | 16% |
Freeman Neosho Hospital
13.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB+
On state tests, Seneca’s schools beat 68% of Missouri districts
Its public schools are run by the Seneca R-Vii school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Seneca High, with 450 students.
68%of MO districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 417 | C− |
| Seneca HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 450 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
In Seneca, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical Missouri or U.S. town
Seneca’s FEMA risk score is 90 of 100, where Missouri’s towns sit at 54 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Since 1986, 31 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Seneca.
90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHeat waves
31
paid flood claims since 1986
11
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
With 0.7 jobs for every working resident, most of Seneca’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Seneca for work: only 10% work in town. 21% of Seneca residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Seneca has lost 736 jobs, to 559 in 2023.
10%work in town
| Seneca | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.8% | 13% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Seneca10%
Joplin25%
Neosho9%
Springfield5%
Carthage3%
17 mi
median commute distance
559
jobs based in Seneca
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SafetyC
More crime per resident in Seneca than in 72% of U.S. towns
Seneca’s violent crime rate is 3.4 per 1,000 residents.
28%of U.S. towns report more crimeCSafety Grade
| Seneca | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.8 per 1,000 residents | 12.5 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Seneca3.4
Missouri4.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Seneca9.8
Missouri16.9
U.S.15.5
28th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
8
violent crimes reported in 2025
23
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
In Seneca, expect four seasons and hot summers
Seneca has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 26° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
8″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–49°
Spring47–69°
Summer67–89°
Fall48–71°
Oct 31
typical first frost
Apr 7
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade A−
Homes in Seneca are worth about $222K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Seneca home is worth about $222,000, up 5.1% in a year, 16% below the Missouri typical home. The median rent in Seneca is $902 a month.
$222KZillow home value
| Seneca | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $902 a month | $971 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Seneca$222K
Missouri$265K
+5.1%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Seneca
19pages on Seneca
The big questions
SchoolsB+Beat 68% of MO districts · 4 schoolsSafetyC3.4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthDBetter than MO on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$222K typical home · up 5.1% in a yearWork & commuteD$46K median household income · 559 jobs hereNatural hazardsDFEMA risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Seneca
Crowder CollegeCommunity college · Public · Neosho13.5 mi$6,180 in-state tuitionNortheastern Oklahoma A&M CollegeCommunity college · Public · Miami, OK14.4 mi$5,213 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Seneca residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
About Seneca
City in Missouri, United States
Seneca is a city in western Newton County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, Seneca had a population of 2,230. Located on the southwestern border of the state, the city is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 846 ft
- ZIP code
- 64865
- Area code
- 417
Questions about Seneca
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Seneca, 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−.
What is Seneca, MO known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Ronald L. Watts and Morris Watts.