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Place dossier plate
SheetMO-MACON-MO · Macon, MO 5,457 pop · income 21st pct · 5 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Macon
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Macon on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Caruthersville · lowest
35,903
Caruthersville · lowest
35,903 median HH income
37.9% of the leader · rank #1
Bicknell · near
51,099
Bicknell · near
51,099 median HH income
53.9% of the leader · rank #2
Sturgis · near
51,101
Sturgis · near
51,101 median HH income
53.9% of the leader · rank #3
Macon · this city
51,103
Macon · this city
51,103 median HH income
53.9% of the leader · rank #4
Elephant Head · near
51,103
Elephant Head · near
51,103 median HH income
53.9% of the leader · rank #5
Rome · near
51,106
Rome · near
51,106 median HH income
53.9% of the leader · rank #6
Candlewick La… · highest
94,820
Candlewick La… · highest
94,820 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Macon on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 5,457.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Macon - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Macon places in the 21st percentile for household income and the 37th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
21st
percentile, household income
22nd
percentile, home value
7th
percentile, median rent
37th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Macon, MO
Macon is a small town in Missouri, home to 5,457 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $51,103 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 14.2%. Home values in Macon run a median of $133,800, and the median resident age is 42.4 years. Educational attainment runs 21.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 55.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 24 residential building permits were authorized in Macon (Building Boom), up 500% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Macon reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1778.9 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Missouri run below the national norm: the state registers 90.8 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $972 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $219 across Missouri, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.6 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Macon's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from within-city variation to reported crime to work and mobility to schools and households to comparison shortlist to population change to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Macon, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, matched public-school count, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What can 5 Census tracts reveal inside Macon?
PlainCities matches 5 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Macon?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1778.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 22% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 82.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Which cities make useful reference points for Macon?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Missouri, the closest population matches are Caruthersville (5,426 residents, $35,903 income); Waynesville (5,422 residents, $75,179 income); Trenton (5,542 residents, $49,836 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are South Gate Ridge, FL (5,456 residents); Belvedere, SC (5,458 residents); Candlewick Lake, IL (5,459 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Macon?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 21.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
14.2%
Bachelor's degree+
21.7%
Matched public schools
3
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +86 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 24 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
5,446
2025 estimate
5,532
Period change
+1.6%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Macon?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 14.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
2.6×
Home value
$133,800
Household income
$51,103
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A-
90.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime D
236 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
21.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
14.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$51,103
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Macon profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 83/100 (A-) · 90.8 index
Violent crime: 42/100 (D) · 236 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 39/100 (F) · 21.7%
Poverty rate: 24/100 (F) · 14.2%
Household income: 22/100 (F) · $51,103
Where Macon sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Macon's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Macon highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
Macon, MO (this city): home $133,800, crime 1,779/100k
Rockdale, TX : home $164,300, crime 1,797/100k
Caruthersville, MO : home $118,700, crime 4,894/100k
Waynesville, MO : home $204,100, crime 1,391/100k
Trenton, MO : home $93,000, crime 870/100k
Odessa, MO : home $209,600, crime 319/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Macon compare to other US cities?
Here's how Macon stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income21% higher than other cities
Home value22% pricier than other cities
Median rent7% pricier than other cities
Safety37% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Missouri alone, Macon ranks #138 of 234 Missouri cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Macon against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Missouri only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Missouri-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Macon near the bottom of Missouri's cities
Among the 875 Missouri cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Macon ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Macon only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#471 of 842
44th percentile in Missouri
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 875
0th percentile in Missouri
Median Home Value
#357 of 833
57th percentile in Missouri
Poverty Rate
#281 of 875
67th percentile in Missouri
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#276 of 875
68th percentile in Missouri
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Missouri only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
21st percentile nationally for median household income · 37th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Macon's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Macon's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Macon's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$133,800Among the most affordablemore affordable than 78% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Macon's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#4,609 of 15,516
More affordable than 70% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#4,088 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.6×, Macon sits in the affordable band:
national rank #4,609 of 15,516 and #4,088 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$51,103Macon, MO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Macon, MO median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Macon, MO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)21.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)14.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)55.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,457
Median Income
$51,103
Median Home Value
$133,800
Median Age
42.4
Poverty Rate
14.2%
Labor force participation
55.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
21.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1778.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
236.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1542.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Macon's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
5,446 residents
2021
5,449 residents
2022
5,462 residents
2023
5,502 residents
2024
5,505 residents
2025
5,532 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
24
housing units authorized
Single-Family
5
detached homes
Multifamily
19
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
4
4
0
$0.9M
2020
7
7
0
$1.7M
2021
44
2
42
$4.8M
2022
4
4
0
$1.1M
2023
7
5
2
$1.9M
2024
24
5
19
$3.9M
Permit volume increased 500% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
82.9%
Carpool
8.5%
Public Transit
0.5%
Walk
1.9%
Work from Home
6.0%
Based on 2,427 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Missouri statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $219
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Missouri at $219 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Missouri statewide averages, not a meter reading for Macon. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Missouri's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Macon is $972/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Missouri statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.6 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Missouri statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Macon sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Macon compares to similar-size Missouri cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.