These Are The 10 Smartest Cities In Missouri

One of the many qualities that people look for in a potential location or company is the intelligence of those around them. This factor can play a huge role in oneâs experience at a particular company and can make or break an employeeâs time there.

So finding a city with an intelligent population makes sense for both companies and employees. Thatâs where Zippia comes in; to help you identify those places in Missouri that might have skipped a gradeâ¦or two.

You may be wondering how does one determine how intelligent a town really is?

Well we went to the source of all things demographic data â the Census â to figure out what criteria about a place would identify it is a smart cookie.

We set upon the percentage of adults (over 25) with at least a high school degree and the percentage of high school dropouts (aged 16-20) for the 128 largest cities in Missouri with data. We then crunched the numbers and were left with this set of the brightest cities in the Show Me State:

Glendale
Des Peres
Dardenne Prairie
Lake St. Louis
Chesterfield
Town And Country
Sunset Hills
Webster Groves
Brentwood
Wildwood

Read on to see why these places got into a four-year college or skip to the end to see a full chart of all the places in our analysis.

For more MO reading, check out:

How we determined the smartest places in the Show Me State

Before we could dive into the potential IQs of various places in Missouri, we needed to know which places to look at in the first place. We settled upon any place with over 5,000 people and data available for every criteria.

This left us with 128 places in Missouri.

We then looked at the following criteria to determine the cream from the crop when it comes to smarts:

Our data comes directly from the latest American Community Survey from the Census.

We thought this criteria was representative of the current state of smarts with the potential for a place to improve the education levels of the next generation. And itâs not like we are setting the education bar incredibly high â 80% of students graduate from high school nowadays.

In order to determine the smartest, we ranked all the cities for each criteria from one to 128 with one being the âsmartestâ in any category.

We took the average rank across all criteria, with the place posting the highest overall score being given the diploma for âSmartest City In Missouriâ.

If your city or town isnât among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart. Otherwise, learn more about how the top ten cities achieved their potential.

1. Glendale

Population: 5,926
Adults Without High School Diploma: 0.0%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

Glendale graduated early and at the top of the class. Itâs taken the diploma as the smartest city in the state of Missouri with almost no high school dropouts and none of the population lacking a high school diploma.

Wow!

2. Des Peres

Population: 8,443
Adults Without High School Diploma: 1.5%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

The residents of Des Peres obviously have the keys to success in their pocket as they take the #2 spot on our list. At a population of around 8,443 and so few high school dropouts this town is on the path to success in the classroom.

3. Dardenne Prairie

Population: 12,116
Adults Without High School Diploma: 1.8%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

Our bronze finisher is the town of Dardenne Prairie, Missouri. WIth a population of over 12,00 residents and almost no kids dropping out of high school itâs no wonder this town made our list.

The IQs here are off the charts

4. Lake St. Louis

Population: 14,759
Adults Without High School Diploma: 1.8%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

The town of Lake St. Louis is coming in at #4 with some pretty great numbers. An ultra low high school dropout rate and just over 1.8% lacking a high school diploma earns them a high rank on our list.

5. Chesterfield

Population: 47,651
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.3%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

The largest city to make our list, Chesterfield is dispelling the myth that big cities have poor educational systems. With over 47,000 residents this metro area is booming with so few high school dropouts and only 2.3% of the population lacking a high school diploma.

6. Town And Country

Population: 10,890
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.3%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

Aside from having a cool name the city of Town and Country is also pretty clever at #6. With no high school dropouts and just over 2% of the population lacking a high school diploma this little town is doing big things.

7. Sunset Hills

Population: 8,523
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.4%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

The coveted #7 spot has fallen to the residents in Sunset Hills. Numbering around 8,523 people this city is doing it big with only 2.4% of the population missing a high school diploma.

8. Webster Groves

Population: 23,084
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.5%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

The residents in Webster Groves might have a secret stash of Websterâs Dictionaries around as they rank in at #8. With so few high school dropouts and only 2.5% of the adult population lacking a high school diploma they are studying hard every night.

9. Brentwood

Population: 8,048
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.5%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 0.0%

Taking the #9 spot Brentwood is putting the myth of small town stupidity to rest as they have almost no high school dropouts to be found.

Smart cookies.

10. Wildwood

Population: 35,701
Adults Without High School Diploma: 2.0%
Teenage High School Dropouts: 1.4%

Rounding out our list and coming in at #10 is the city of Wildwood, MO. With only 1.4% of the high school population not making it to graduation and 2% of the adult population lacking a high school diploma they have earned their spot on the list.

And thatâs how you graduate in style

There you have it folks, the Ten Smartest cities in the state Missouri. They have the numbers to back it up so go ahead and visit them to soak up some of the smarts around town. If youâd like more information on different cities and states around the U.S. be sure to visit www.zippia.com to have all of your questions answered.

Detailed List Of Smartest Cities In Missouri

City	Rank	Population	Adults Without High School Diploma	Teenage High School Drop Outs
Glendale	1	5,926	0.0%	0.0%
Des Peres	2	8,443	1.5%	0.0%
Dardenne Prairie	3	12,116	1.8%	0.0%
Lake St. Louis	4	14,759	1.8%	0.0%
Chesterfield	5	47,651	2.3%	0.0%
Town and Country	6	10,890	2.3%	0.0%
Sunset Hills	7	8,523	2.4%	0.0%
Webster Groves	8	23,084	2.5%	0.0%
Brentwood	9	8,048	2.5%	0.0%
Wildwood	10	35,701	2.0%	1.4%
Ballwin	11	30,478	3.0%	0.0%
Ladue	12	8,549	0.8%	1.9%
Kearney	13	8,845	3.3%	0.0%
Greenwood	14	5,322	3.4%	0.0%
Waynesville	15	5,147	3.6%	0.0%
Parkville	16	5,811	3.7%	0.0%
Weldon Spring	17	5,496	3.8%	0.0%
Raymore	18	19,576	4.0%	0.0%
Manchester	19	18,125	2.7%	1.8%
Crestwood	20	11,934	5.4%	0.0%
Battlefield	21	5,759	5.6%	0.0%
Wentzville	22	31,591	5.5%	0.8%
Kirkwood	23	27,587	2.9%	1.9%
Maryville	24	12,018	6.1%	0.3%
Olivette	25	7,809	6.5%	0.0%
St. Peters	26	54,236	6.5%	0.0%
Carl Junction	27	7,511	6.7%	0.0%
Columbia	28	113,155	6.4%	0.9%
Eureka	29	10,375	6.9%	0.0%
Grain Valley	30	13,037	7.2%	0.0%
Clayton	31	15,912	3.1%	3.1%
Ellisville	32	9,162	4.9%	2.4%
Richmond Heights	33	8,526	3.2%	3.3%
Maryland Heights	34	27,420	8.0%	0.0%
Leeâs Summit	35	92,813	3.6%	3.2%
Odessa	36	5,237	8.2%	0.0%
Hazelwood	37	25,671	8.6%	0.0%
Nixa	38	19,821	6.1%	2.4%
OâFallon	39	81,978	5.6%	3.0%
Willard	40	5,395	9.4%	0.0%
Smithville	41	8,791	6.7%	2.6%
Creve Coeur	42	17,841	2.7%	5.8%
Warrensburg	43	19,548	6.4%	3.4%
Union	44	10,517	9.9%	0.9%
Washington	45	13,982	9.7%	1.6%
Pleasant Hill	46	8,173	9.1%	2.2%
Jefferson City	47	43,184	9.6%	1.9%
Blue Springs	48	53,053	5.9%	4.9%
Oak Grove	49	7,747	12.2%	0.0%
Republic	50	15,222	6.0%	5.5%
Pacific	51	6,047	12.4%	0.0%
Bolivar	52	10,443	12.4%	0.0%
Mexico	53	11,555	12.2%	0.9%
Liberty	54	29,806	7.0%	4.5%
Cape Girardeau	55	38,665	11.8%	1.9%
Valley Park	56	6,980	13.1%	0.0%
Shrewsbury	57	6,217	4.9%	7.1%
Ozark	58	18,369	11.5%	2.2%
St. Charles	59	66,900	8.7%	3.7%
St. Ann	60	12,988	13.2%	0.0%
Perryville	61	8,280	13.3%	0.0%
University City	62	35,226	8.1%	4.7%
Jackson	63	14,221	11.6%	2.5%
Bellefontaine Neighbors	64	10,823	13.5%	0.0%
Florissant	65	52,353	7.9%	5.2%
Belton	66	23,197	9.8%	3.6%
Webb City	67	10,985	13.9%	0.7%
Maplewood	68	7,987	7.3%	6.2%
Rolla	69	19,808	11.6%	3.5%
Raytown	70	29,520	8.7%	6.0%
Chillicothe	71	8,528	13.2%	2.2%
Clinton	72	9,014	15.4%	0.0%
Kirksville	73	17,578	13.8%	2.7%
Pevely	74	5,566	16.7%	0.0%
Branson	75	10,942	12.3%	4.2%
West Plains	76	12,176	16.3%	1.4%
Springfield	77	162,333	12.2%	4.9%
Kansas City	78	465,005	12.0%	5.8%
Black Jack	79	6,924	6.8%	9.9%
Gladstone	80	26,032	9.5%	8.1%
Bridgeton	81	11,654	7.9%	9.7%
Troy	82	11,015	10.9%	7.7%
Joplin	83	50,900	12.7%	5.6%
Sikeston	84	16,642	17.1%	2.1%
Arnold	85	21,020	12.3%	6.5%
Sedalia	86	21,429	19.6%	0.8%
Independence	87	117,160	12.7%	6.3%
Festus	88	11,740	11.5%	8.4%
Ferguson	89	21,151	13.1%	6.4%
Marshall	90	13,059	15.0%	4.3%
Moberly	91	13,898	15.2%	4.6%
Grandview	92	24,860	12.9%	7.4%
Richmond	93	5,702	14.5%	5.9%
Savannah	94	5,101	12.0%	9.3%
Nevada	95	8,318	17.2%	3.6%
Harrisonville	96	10,019	11.2%	11.9%
Trenton	97	6,058	14.1%	7.3%
Dellwood	98	5,010	11.9%	11.5%
Marshfield	99	6,789	14.0%	7.9%
St. Joseph	100	77,040	14.1%	7.9%
Boonville	101	8,320	14.3%	8.9%
St. Louis	102	318,727	16.8%	6.8%
Neosho	103	12,038	20.5%	4.1%
Macon	104	5,476	15.4%	8.7%
Overland	105	16,043	14.4%	9.9%
Bowling Green	106	5,452	22.4%	3.7%
Berkeley	107	9,120	15.5%	8.7%
Fulton	108	12,791	18.0%	6.4%
Park Hills	109	8,714	16.7%	8.1%
Sullivan	110	7,058	19.2%	6.4%
Warrenton	111	7,974	18.8%	7.0%
Hannibal	112	17,779	17.6%	7.5%
Excelsior Springs	113	11,391	16.5%	9.1%
St. John	114	6,486	15.0%	12.4%
Charleston	115	5,905	23.4%	5.3%
Jennings	116	14,730	20.4%	7.5%
Monett	117	8,935	22.7%	7.3%
Farmington	118	17,213	17.1%	13.0%
Dexter	119	7,902	20.7%	8.9%
Caruthersville	120	6,086	27.6%	7.4%
Lebanon	121	14,595	19.3%	11.0%
Cameron	122	10,008	17.2%	17.6%
De Soto	123	6,449	22.7%	8.8%
Poplar Bluff	124	17,190	21.1%	14.8%
Aurora	125	7,475	23.2%	18.1%
Kennett	126	11,002	29.2%	14.8%
Carthage	127	14,281	30.9%	24.7%
Bonne Terre	128	7,025	29.3%	44.7%