Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Trenton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $113K, 2.2 years of the county’s $52K median household income. It grades B− overall, 112th among Missouri's 247 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 86% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $50K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. 36% of working residents work locally in Trenton, against 13% in Missouri’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On history, just 18 of Missouri’s 419 towns do better. Trenton is home to North Central Missouri College.
Where Trenton beats most towns.
St. Philip's Episcopal ChurchEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Trenton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 617 in 1860, 5,609 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 2 maps from 1948 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Trenton, 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 Trenton.
Trenton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, fares better on crime within Missouri than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Homes are within reach (about $113K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. At 2.2 years of the county’s $52K median household income, the typical home (about $113K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of Missouri towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Trenton’s median rent is $703 a month. Typical home values rose 5.2% in the year to September 2026. 61% of households own their home in Trenton.
| Trenton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $703 a month | $972 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 5,802 U.S. towns with household incomes like Trenton’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of Trenton adults report frequent physical distress. Trenton beats the Missouri average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 35% of Trenton adults get no exercise outside work.
| Trenton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 30% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 19% |
| What stands out | Trenton | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80% | 77.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.1% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trenton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 17° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 2,994 in 2013 to 2,240. The average commute for its 2,212 working residents takes 12 minutes, against 23.5 across Missouri.
About one in 3 of Trenton’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Trenton is 12 minutes. Jobs based in Trenton fell to 2,240 in 2023, 754 fewer than in 2013.
| Trenton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 12 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1995, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Trenton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 19 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 63% of Missouri’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.2 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Moberly Park | — | 18 |
| 2. Gladys Grimes Public Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Eastside Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Trenton
About 5 of every 100 Trenton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
6 places in Trenton on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Trenton.
City in Missouri, U.S.
Trenton is a city in and the county seat of Grundy County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,609 at the 2020 United States census. It is the county seat of Grundy County. The city was the world's largest producer of vienna sausages at its biggest employer, the ConAgra Grocery Foods plant, then bought by Nestlé.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Trenton.
| Town | MO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton · Trenton Township | #112 | B− | A | B− | B | D |
| Lincoln Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lincoln Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Trenton Township and Trenton are one community, graded once. Compare Trenton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Trenton grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #112 of 247 in Missouri. It grades D for health, B− for safety and B for schools. Health 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.
6 notable people were born here, including George Ovey and Yank Lawson.
