Spruce TownshipMO
A town of 312, laid out in 1881.
Is Spruce Township a good place to live?
Spruce Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
312 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Spruce Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spruce Township, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Spruce Township.
The schools Spruce Township’s kids attend
Its two schools are below. Ballard R-II runs its public schools. 2 public schools serve Spruce Township, with 116 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballard Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 57 | C− |
| Ballard HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 59 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
Spruce Township has 0.4 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
The top destinations are Harrisonville (13%), Adrian (12%) and Butler (9%). In Spruce Township, 2.7% of residents live below the poverty line, against 14% in Missouri’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Its mean commuting time comes in at 29 minutes.
| Spruce Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.7% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect four seasons and hot summers in Spruce Township
Spruce Township’s peak summer temperature stands at 89°F, where Missouri’s towns sit at 88°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards: high risk in Spruce Township, mostly inland flooding
Expected losses in Spruce Township break down as 46% from inland flooding and 14% from tornadoes. In Spruce Township, the risk rating from FEMA is 61 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy Spruce Township is
26% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Spruce Township. Among adults locally, 18% report frequent physical distress and 35% get no exercise outside work.
| Spruce Township | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Spruce Township | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.8% | 8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.2% | 15.8% |
| More smokers | 21.6% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0% of Spruce Township is conserved land
2.9 miles of trail. Spruce Township’s trail density stands at 0.1 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Spruce Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Spruce Township; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Spruce Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
100% of working residents leave Spruce Township for work
Where Spruce Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Spruce Township
Unincorporated community in Missouri, U.S.
Spruce is an unincorporated community in northeast Bates County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The community is on Missouri Route H approximately ten miles east of Butler. The headwaters of South Deepwater Creek flow past the south side of the community. Spruce was laid out in 1881, and named after a nearby post office of the same name. The Spruce post office closed in 1957.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Questions about Spruce Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Spruce Township, MO a good place to live?
Spruce Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.