Nixa, Republic, Ozark score high in homeownership study

Looking at such factors as home affordability, availability and population growth, NerdWallet.com recently released a study of the 84 Missouri cities with more than 10,000 residents, and identified three Springfield bedroom communities among the best places in the state to own a home.

Nixa, Ozark and Republic each landed in the top 20.

Republic, with a homeownership rate of 63.4 percent and population growth of 6.3 percent between 2010 and 2012, ranked No. 14. Nixa beat out Ozark to grab the No. 17 spot, while Ozark was listed at No. 19. The homeownership rate in Nixa was 63.3 percent and the 2010–2012 population growth was 5.6 percent, while Ozark posted 63 percent homeownership rate and a 6.5 percent population increase. Ozark, however, had higher homeowner costs as a percentage of household income than its immediate neighbor to the west: 28.6 percent compared to 26.3 percent in Nixa.

Republic posted a 24.6 percent rate with median monthly household income of $4,279 and median monthly homeowner costs of $1,054.

According to the study, Springfield ranked No. 72 in the state with a homeownership rate of 48.5 percent and two-year population growth of 0.8 percent.

Dardenne Prairie in St. Charles County west of St. Louis topped the list with 98 percent homeownership and 88.8 percent population growth. All cities in the top 10 were in the greater Kansas City or St. Louis metropolitan areas.

Other community rankings include: Joplin, 56; Lebanon, 66; Kansas City, 67; Branson, 68; Columbia, 70; Bolivar, 71; Rolla, 79; and St. Louis, 82.

To view the full list, click here.