O'Fallon Is One Of the Best Small Cities In America For Vets

O'FALLON, MO — Three Missouri cities made the cut for the best small cities in America for veterans, according to a new study from the Military Times.

The Times’ researchers evaluated 599 cities of different sizes around the country, measuring factors in three main categories: veteran and military culture and services, the strength of the local economy, and liveability factors like crime rates, school quality, traffic congestion and health rankings.

St. Charles, Missouri, came in at number 8 on the list, just behind Suffolk, Virgina, and beating out Waldorf, Maryland. Not too much farther down the list, O'Fallon came in at number 13, just behind Woodbury, Minnesota and edging out Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, just across the harbor from Charleston. Finally, Lee's Summit, Missouri came in at number 32, behind Federal Way, Washington and ahead of Mission Viejo, California.

“Slightly more than half of the evaluation was based on metrics specific to veterans or the military, while the rest was based on metrics applicable to the population as a whole,” the Times said of the methodology used in compiling the list.

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Veterans make up just under 10 percent of the U.S. adult population according to the Pew Research Center. In St. Charles, vets make up about 9 percent of the population. That number is about 7 percent in O'Fallon and 8 percent in Lee's Summit.

According to the Military Times, the median income for Veterans is $44,332 in St. Charles, $36,178 in O'Fallon and $50,759 in Lee's Summit.

St. Charles and O'Fallon each have one military installation within 25 miles — Naval Research Center St. Louis — while Lee's Summit has none.

With four military bases nearby and a median veteran income of over $51,000, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the best large city for veterans to live, the study said.

Alexandria, Virginia is the best medium-sized city for vets. This is largely due to how many veterans work as highly-paid government contractors in the area. Portsmouth, Virginia, took the top spot for small cities.

Killeen, Texas, has by far the highest percentage of veterans. It has a population of about 140,000 people, more than 30 percent of whom are veterans. This makes sense — Killeen is home to Fort Hood, a highly populated Army base.

Click to see the lists for small, medium and large cities.

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