Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
44% of residents live below the poverty line in Van Buren, where Missouri’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Of the 248 Missouri towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Van Buren. Big Spring Historic District and Carter County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Van Buren has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Van Buren beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 345 in 1930, 747 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1944 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Van Buren. Close and well known come first.
37 mi State parkJohnson's Shut-Ins State Park39 mi Theme parkHydro AdventuresJohnson's Shut-Ins State Park: Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Van Buren, 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 Van Buren.
Expected losses in Van Buren break down as 62% from inland flooding and 15% from cold waves. The town has had 44 paid flood insurance claims since 1982. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Van Buren after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2025.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its two schools are below. The Van Buren R-I school district runs its public schools. The 2 public schools in Van Buren teach 466 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 245 | B |
| Van Buren HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 221 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Home values are up 9.4% over the year to September 2026. Van Buren: 42% of households own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Van Buren brings chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 24° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 2013, Van Buren has lost 226 jobs, to 362 in 2023. One in 5 of the town’s working residents works locally. The mean commuting time for Van Buren comes to 18 minutes. The top destinations are Poplar Bluff (10%), Doniphan (2%) and Ellsinore (1%).
| Van Buren | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 13% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Van Buren is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
28% of adults in Van Buren smoke cigarettes; 20% have diabetes. CDC measures, 32 in all: Van Buren beats Missouri on 2 and trails on 20. The share of adults in Van Buren who report frequent physical distress: 23%. Only 9 of the 248 Missouri towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Van Buren.
| Van Buren | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 17% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Van Buren | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.3% | 16.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.4% | 77.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 18.4% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Van Buren; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Van Buren residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
City in Missouri, U.S.
Van Buren is a city in and county seat of Carter County, Missouri, United States, that is the largest city in Carter County. Van Buren was founded in 1833 as the county seat of Ripley County and was named after then Vice President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. In 1859, Van Buren became a part of the newly created Carter County and was subsequently selected to be the county seat. The 2020 U.S. census showed Van Buren with a population of 747.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Van Buren has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
