countyscore

Best Counties for Retirement in Missouri 2026

115 counties ranked with the Retiree lens of the County Fit Score.

Top 5 Retirement Counties in Missouri

1Osage County
68.4
baseline 67.2
2Douglas County
65.6
baseline 60.8
3Maries County
65.5
baseline 64
4Wright County
64.8
baseline 64.2
5Knox County
64.1
baseline 66

All 115 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Missouri

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Osage County, MO68.467.2+1.2
2Douglas County, MO65.660.8+4.8
3Maries County, MO65.564+1.5
4Wright County, MO64.864.2+0.6
5Knox County, MO64.166-1.9
6St. Clair County, MO63.959.1+4.8
7Worth County, MO63.959.2+4.7
8Reynolds County, MO63.766.2-2.5
9Ralls County, MO63.261.9+1.3
10Linn County, MO63.161.9+1.2
11Putnam County, MO62.362.9-0.6
12Cole County, MO61.554.9+6.6
13Lewis County, MO60.762.1-1.4
14Hickory County, MO60.557.8+2.7
15Caldwell County, MO60.364.7-4.4
16Mercer County, MO60.362.8-2.5
17Sullivan County, MO60.362.4-2.1
18Chariton County, MO59.861.3-1.5
19Holt County, MO59.857.5+2.3
20Shannon County, MO59.661.3-1.7
21DeKalb County, MO59.555.9+3.6
22Moniteau County, MO59.459.1+0.3
23Ozark County, MO59.160.2-1.1
24Cooper County, MO5956.7+2.3
25Gasconade County, MO58.859.2-0.4
26Dallas County, MO58.759-0.3
27Scotland County, MO58.460.6-2.2
28Shelby County, MO58.460.1-1.7
29Oregon County, MO5860-2
30Andrew County, MO57.953.8+4.1
31Clark County, MO57.855.1+2.7
32Carroll County, MO57.558.2-0.7
33Atchison County, MO57.358.3-1
34Macon County, MO56.952.6+4.3
35Carter County, MO56.857.5-0.7
36Gentry County, MO56.757.1-0.4
37Monroe County, MO56.558.6-2.1
38Livingston County, MO56.452.7+3.7
39Schuyler County, MO56.255.5+0.7
40Howard County, MO55.852.4+3.4
41Bollinger County, MO55.654.3+1.3
42Harrison County, MO55.450.3+5.1
43Iron County, MO54.459.3-4.9
44Greene County, MO54.354.4-0.1
45Montgomery County, MO53.953.4+0.5
46Dent County, MO53.855.5-1.7
47Daviess County, MO53.553.6-0.1
48Pike County, MO53.354.6-1.3
49Lafayette County, MO53.256.2-3
50Miller County, MO52.854.3-1.5
51Ste. Genevieve County, MO52.754-1.3
52Webster County, MO52.750+2.7
53Perry County, MO52.547.2+5.3
54Pulaski County, MO52.449.8+2.6
55Nodaway County, MO52.150.3+1.8
56Grundy County, MO51.951+0.9
57Ripley County, MO51.949.8+2.1
58Scott County, MO51.554-2.5
59Madison County, MO50.946+4.9
60Randolph County, MO50.849.9+0.9
61Audrain County, MO50.351.2-0.9
62Benton County, MO49.950.4-0.5
63Morgan County, MO49.553.7-4.2
64Stone County, MO49.152.2-3.1
65Texas County, MO48.950.3-1.4
66Clinton County, MO48.447.7+0.7
67Dade County, MO48.144.1+4
68Cedar County, MO47.945.4+2.5
69Johnson County, MO47.944.9+3
70Wayne County, MO47.950-2.1
71Camden County, MO47.648.5-0.9
72Polk County, MO47.144.3+2.8
73St. Charles County, MO47.148.2-1.1
74Washington County, MO4751.4-4.4
75Bates County, MO45.845.2+0.6
76Lawrence County, MO45.845.6+0.2
77Barton County, MO45.744.6+1.1
78Warren County, MO45.643.2+2.4
79Platte County, MO45.545.2+0.3
80Barry County, MO45.445.9-0.5
81Saline County, MO45.342.8+2.5
82Howell County, MO4549.1-4.1
83Henry County, MO44.944.5+0.4
84Stoddard County, MO44.947-2.1
85Adair County, MO44.844.3+0.5
86Newton County, MO44.342.6+1.7
87Laclede County, MO44.243.7+0.5
88Ray County, MO43.942.2+1.7
89McDonald County, MO43.544.7-1.2
90Lincoln County, MO43.445-1.6
91Cape Girardeau County, MO43.242.6+0.6
92Phelps County, MO43430
93Vernon County, MO4342+1
94Clay County, MO42.845.5-2.7
95Marion County, MO42.842.3+0.5
96Boone County, MO4239.5+2.5
97Franklin County, MO41.542.5-1
98Callaway County, MO41.239.7+1.5
99Crawford County, MO4040.7-0.7
100Taney County, MO4042.2-2.2
101Christian County, MO39.938.5+1.4
102Dunklin County, MO39.540.9-1.4
103Pettis County, MO39.541.1-1.6
104Jefferson County, MO39.440.4-1
105Butler County, MO36.437.9-1.5
106Jackson County, MO36.135.7+0.4
107Cass County, MO35.933.2+2.7
108Buchanan County, MO35.831.1+4.7
109New Madrid County, MO35.538.1-2.6
110St. Francois County, MO35.337.2-1.9
111Jasper County, MO34.132+2.1
112Mississippi County, MO33.835.4-1.6
113St. Louis County, MO33.536.6-3.1
114Pemiscot County, MO30.734.6-3.9
115St. Louis city, MO27.526.2+1.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in Missouri?

Based on the Retiree lens, Osage County ranks as the top retirement county in Missouri with a County Fit Score of 68.4. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in Missouri are ranked for retirement?

We rank 115 counties in Missouri with the Retiree lens, using independent importance values for health, safety, taxes, cost, disaster risk, water, and weather.

Also Browse Missouri Counties For

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Retirement Rankings by State

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Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.