Is Taos, MO a Good Place to Live?
Taos is a small town of 1,275 in Missouri, with a median household income of $101,354 and a 1.3% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 88 (US average = 100), which is 12% below the national average.
Strengths: Taos stands out for an affordable cost of living, short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Taos is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Taos 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: 87.7Taos's overall cost of living index is 87.7, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Taos costs roughly 12% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Taos, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $252,800 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $412 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 91.9% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $101,354 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Safer than AverageTaos's violent crime rate is 248.9 per 100,000 residents — 34% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
| Metric | Taos, 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 | 31.0% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 94.0% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Taos sees average highs of 41.1°F in January and 88.9°F in July, with 45.7 inches of annual precipitation and 8.9 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Taos, MO |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 41.1°F |
| Average High — July | 88.9°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 45.7" |
| Annual Snowfall | 8.9" |
Demographics
| Metric | Taos, MO | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,275 | — |
| Median Age | 46.1 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 1.3% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 23.4 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 95.8% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.0% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 27.0% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 18.2% | 16.8% |