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Cost of living, pay and housing

38.50° N · 92.09° W · GEOID 2972304

Taos

Cole County, Missouri · part of the Jefferson City, MO metro

Limited data population under 5,000

MissouriTaos, MOTaosTaos

The short answer

Taos is home to 1,242 people. Median household income is $98,854 a year and median rent is $419 a month, 5.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $270,500, about 2.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$419
69% below the median place
Median household income
$98,854
23% above the median place
Median home value
$270,500
15% below the median place
Unemployment
2.9%
40% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Taos

  • The median rent takes only 5.1% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 140 Missouri places.
  • 2.5% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 98% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,135 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 89% of places its size.
  • 88% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 87% of places its size.
01

Moving to Taos

Cole County gains about 1.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in3,439
Moved out3,345
Net+94

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Moniteau County, MO155166−11
Miller County, MO149113+36
Osage County, MO138111+27

Within Missouri, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MissouriOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$51K
Leavers$53K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Cole County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Cole County report $50,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $52,900.
Income you would need
$16,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $419 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,554 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $270,500.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 8.5% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Mount Zion, IL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in8
$50,713
28% below the median place
Income of households moving out8
$52,904
25% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureTaosAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.0%4% above
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure1.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$50,71328% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$52,90425% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $419, 69% below the median place.

Taos5.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$16,760
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
5.1%
75% below the median place
Home price to income
2.7x
28% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
5%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$100,800
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Taos, $419 a month, and local prices for everything else (93.3 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Taos.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Taos? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
87.9%
32% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,802
45% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.7%
26% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureTaosAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$41969% below
Rent to income15.1%75% below
Property tax rate10.7%26% below
Home price to income12.7x28% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure88.013% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$96240% below
HUD area median income4County figure$105,5002% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,80245% below
Median home value1$270,50015% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.6%108% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure65.9%28% above
Homeownership187.9%32% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure34.5%32% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,55417% below
Vacant homes1County figure7.3%3% above
Median year built119830% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
2.5%
77% below the median place
Works from home1
8.5%
32% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$98,854 +23%
Mean commute23 min −10%
Income per person$42,402 +6%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureTaosAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$98,85423% above
Income per person1$42,4026% above
Unemployment1County figure2.9%40% below
Average annual pay6County figure$59,51110% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure6.4%73% above
Jobs6County figure54,54264% below
Poverty rate12.5%77% below
Mean commute123 min10% below
Works from home18.5%32% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 44.3, 14% above the median place.

Median age1
44.3
14% above the median place
High school or higher1
95.7%
4% above the median place
Household size1
2.7
9% above the median place
All 9 people measures
MeasureTaosAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,2426646th largest
Population change since 202073.9%238% above
Median age144.314% above
Bachelor's or higher131.4%2% below
High school or higher195.7%4% above
Household size12.79% above
Born abroad1County figure2.9%67% below
No health insurance1County figure5.8%9% below
Homes with broadband191.2%1% below
05

Life in Taos

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and Rectory listed 2016

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.7 +4%
Shops34.7 +15%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.4 −17%
Doctors' offices and clinics18.6 −8%
Child care centers3.4 +48%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Students per teacher12
12.2
21% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k9
3.4
48% above the median place
Public schools12
28
211% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureTaosAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure28211% above
Public school students12County figure10,312111% above
Students per teacher12County figure12.221% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure21.74% above
Shops per 10k9County figure34.715% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure3.417% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure18.68% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure3.448% above
Parks per 10k100.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k100.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 89.6%, 31% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Taos. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days15
89.6%
31% above the median place
Hurricane risk14
17.9
75% below the median place
Natural hazard risk14
73.4
21% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureTaosAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure89°F2% above
January average low13County figure22°F12% below
Average temperature13County figure56°F2% above
Annual precipitation13County figure42.7 in3% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure73.421% below
Hurricane risk14County figure17.975% below
Tornado risk14County figure84.34% above
Wildfire risk14County figure71.717% above
Heat wave risk14County figure94.35% above
Median air quality index15Metro figure415% below
Good air days15Metro figure89.6%31% above
08

Taos in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 5% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 5% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$419/mo (2024)$530/mo$430 to $650/mo+4.0%
Median household income$98,854 (2024)$124,000$105,000 to $147,000+3.9%
Median home value$270,500 (2024)$394,000$286,000 to $543,000+6.5%
Population1,175 (2025)1,2101,160 to 1,260+0.5%

The median home would be worth 3.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Taos

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Mount Zion, IL$744$103,365Compare
Washington, MO$827$79,173Compare
Amherst, OH$906$90,725Compare
Bright, IN$869$108,974Compare
Bright, INAmherst, OHWashington, MOMount Zion, ILTaos, MOTaosMount ZionWashingtonAmherstBrightTaosMount ZionWashingtonAmherstBright

Common questions

Is Taos a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median rent takes only 5.1% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 140 Missouri places. 2.5% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 98% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 100 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Taos expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 5.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $270,500.

What salary do you need to live in Taos?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $16,760 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Taos?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Mount Zion, IL, Washington, MO, Amherst, OH and Bright, IN.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Taos with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Taos itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/taos-missouri

Citytistics. “Taos, Missouri.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/taos-missouri/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.