Is Lake Lafayette, MO a Good Place to Live?
Lake Lafayette is a small town of 242 in Missouri, with a median household income of $40,000 and a 5.3% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 93 (US average = 100), which is 7% below the national average.
Strengths: Lake Lafayette stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, short average commutes.
Trade-offs: Potential downsides include an elevated unemployment rate. Whether Lake Lafayette is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Lake Lafayette 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: 93.3Lake Lafayette's overall cost of living index is 93.3, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Lake Lafayette costs roughly 7% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Lake Lafayette, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $65,600 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | N/A | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 98.8% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $40,000 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeLake Lafayette's violent crime rate is 48.9 per 100,000 residents — 87% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
| Metric | Lake Lafayette, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | N/A | — |
| Elementary Schools | N/A | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | N/A | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 3.4% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 88.2% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Lake Lafayette sees average highs of 38.1°F in January and 87.7°F in July, with 42.9 inches of annual precipitation and 11.9 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Lake Lafayette, MO |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 38.1°F |
| Average High — July | 87.7°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 42.9" |
| Annual Snowfall | 11.9" |
Demographics
| Metric | Lake Lafayette, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 242 | — |
| Median Age | 48.0 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 5.3% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 25.7 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 88.4% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 7.4% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.9% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 24.0% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 25.2% | 16.8% |