Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,766, settled in 1858.
Tipton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $192K for a typical one, or 2.6 years of the Jefferson City metro’s $74K median household income. It grades C overall, 144th of 247 graded towns in Missouri. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $49K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns. Only 24 of Missouri’s 419 towns score higher on hazard risk. Tipton has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Maclay Mansion and Harrison School. Only 2 of the 247 Missouri towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Tipton.
Where Tipton beats most towns.
3,262 counted in 2010 and 2,920 in 2020; an estimated 2,766 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 5.5% since 2020, after 10.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Tipton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 989 in 1880, 2,920 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 2 maps from 1952 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tipton, 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 Tipton.
Tipton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
The nearest emergency room, Bothwell Regional Health Center, is 24 miles away in a straight line. Against the 5,504 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tipton’s, it is less healthy than 57%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
21% of Tipton adults smoke cigarettes, where Missouri’s towns sit at 17% and U.S. towns at 14%. 42% of Tipton adults have obesity. Tipton beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
| Tipton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Tipton | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.9% | 15.8% |
| More smokers | 20.9% | 16% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 53.5% | 60.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Tipton R-VI. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tipton Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 222 | C− |
| Tipton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 185 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $192K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 29 miles. At 2.6 years of the Jefferson City metro’s $74K median household income, the typical home (about $192K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Missouri towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living.
Tipton’s median rent is $785 a month, below both the Missouri town median ($972 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Tipton home is worth about $192,000, up 0.8% in a year, 28% below the Missouri typical home.
| Tipton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $785 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Tipton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 21° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Tipton for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Tipton fell to 915 in 2023, 161 fewer than in 2013. The average trip to work in Tipton is 21 minutes.
| Tipton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 13% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Tipton City Park, at 29 acres.
| Tipton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tipton City Park | 0.3 mi | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Tipton; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Tipton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
3 notable people were born in Tipton.
City in Moniteau County, Missouri, United States
Tipton is a city in Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,920 as of the 2020 census, down from 3,262 in 2010. It is part of the Jefferson City metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tipton grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #144 of 247 in Missouri. It grades C− for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
3 notable people were born here, including David Koechner and Gene Clark.
