Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Taos’ subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life and an A− for incomes; the weakest is a C for hazard risk. Of the 243 Missouri towns we compare, none has a lower median rent than Taos. On the outdoors, just 22 of Missouri’s 419 towns do worse. Taos has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Taos beats most towns.
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and RectoryIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Taos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 759 in 1980, 1,150 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers and 3 maps from 1967 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Taos, 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 Taos.
0.7% of Taos working residents work locally, below both Missouri’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (8%). Since 2013, Taos has lost 58 jobs, to 79 in 2023. 2.5% of Taos residents live below the poverty line.
| Taos | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.5% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 13% | 8% |
| Median household income | $99,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.5% | 9% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Taos has chilly winters and warm summers. Taos’ July high is 89°F, against 88°F in Missouri’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Taos since 2017.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Missouri average. The median age in Taos is 44.3 years. Taos has grown 3.9% since 2020, to 1,175 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Taos | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.3 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 22% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8 points. Across Missouri, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Taos | MO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.4% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.3% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.9% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.6% | 30.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.1% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.3% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.1% | 12.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Taos home is worth about $287,000, up 7.2% in a year, 8% above the Missouri typical home. 88% of households own their home in Taos.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Taos beats the Missouri average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Taos | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 38% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Taos | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.3% | 15.8% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.2% | 9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Taos
About 4 of every 100 Taos residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
Where Taos’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Missouri, United States
Taos ( TOWSS) is a city in Cole County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Jefferson City metropolitan statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.