Is Hale, MO a Good Place to Live?
Hale is a small town of 543 in Missouri, with a median household income of $51,071 and a 0.4% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 83 (US average = 100), which is 17% below the national average.
Strengths: Hale stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B).
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Hale is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Hale city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 83.3Hale's overall cost of living index is 83.3, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Hale costs roughly 17% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Hale, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $73,600 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $438 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 70.3% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $51,071 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeHale's violent crime rate is 92.2 per 100,000 residents — 76% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Hale is served primarily by HALE R-I. The student-to-teacher ratio is 4.9:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Hale, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | HALE R-I | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 4.9:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 10.0% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 85.2% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Hale sees average highs of 34.5°F in January and 87.3°F in July, with 40.9 inches of annual precipitation and 13.7 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Hale, MO |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 34.5°F |
| Average High — July | 87.3°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 40.9" |
| Annual Snowfall | 13.7" |
Demographics
| Metric | Hale, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 543 | — |
| Median Age | 42.1 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 0.4% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 27.8 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 92.6% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 6.8% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.6% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 17.7% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 21.7% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Hale
Hale, MO is covered by 1 ZIP code: