Bellefontaine Neighbors vs Jennings

Which is the better fit for you?

Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO
50
Area Score
Bottom 20% nationally
Jennings, MO
48
Area Score
Bottom 14% nationally

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Bellefontaine Neighbors receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Bellefontaine Neighbors to Jennings

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 95.0 against 95.0 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$60 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,100 in Jennings against $1,160 in Bellefontaine Neighbors.
The median home
31% less
$68,800 in Jennings against $99,700 in Bellefontaine Neighbors.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 24°F in Jennings against 24°F in Bellefontaine Neighbors; July highs are 90°F against 90°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Bellefontaine Neighbors
Jennings
Opportunity: Bellefontaine Neighbors is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
52 · Bottom 40%
vs
46 · Bottom 29%
Growth: Bellefontaine Neighbors is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
29 · Bottom 14%
vs
18 · Bottom 4%
Climate
68 · Bottom 39%
vs
68 · Bottom 39%
Physical resilience: Jennings is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
66 · Top 42%
vs
67 · Top 41%
Housing affordability: Jennings is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
56 · Bottom 29%
vs
58 · Bottom 32%
Schools: Jennings is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
12 · Bottom 5%
vs
14 · Bottom 6%
Access
99 · Top 16%
vs
99 · Top 16%
Economic stability: Bellefontaine Neighbors is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
27 · Bottom 7%
vs
17 · Bottom 2%

Measured values

MetricBellefontaine NeighborsJenningsSource period
Population10,49812,9182024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$49,170 — more favorable$38,9842024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$25,640 ±$4,382$22,364 ±$2,0732024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,386/sq mi3,460/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$99,700$68,8002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,151$961 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,160$1,100 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index95.095.02023
Homeownership rate58.1%45.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.1%4.1%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+0.5%+0.5%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher17.7% — more favorable10.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate20.8% ±8%25.0% ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)0012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.00.012 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+25.3%−100.0%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high90°F90°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low24°F24°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation41.7"41.7"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport8 mi6 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate28.0 min ±2.9 min27.6 min ±2.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age41.939.42024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools8142024-25 school year
Students per teacher15.2 — more favorable15.72024-25 school year
Math proficiency6.9%22.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency18.2%22.5% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility58.0%90.6%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Bellefontaine Neighbors

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Jennings

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Bellefontaine Neighbors
—
Bellefontaine Neighbors: Your Score
50
Area Score
Jennings
—
Jennings: Your Score
48
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO · Jennings, MO · How this is calculated: methodology