Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri

• Springfield Pop: 169,176
• Nixa Pop: 23,257
• Ozark Pop: 21,284

• Republic Pop: 18,750
• Bolivar Pop: 11,067
• Marshfield Pop: 7,458
• Willard Pop: 6,344
• Battlefield Pop: 5,990

• Highlandville Pop: 915
• Reeds Spring Pop: 886
• Rockaway Beach Pop: 857
• Fremont Hills Pop: 847
• Fordland Pop: 801
• Walnut Grove Pop: 723
• Pleasant Hope Pop: 614
• Bull Creek Pop: 590
• Indian Point Pop: 520

The main newspaper for the area is the Springfield News-Leader. The area is also served by the Springfield Business Journal and 417 magazine as well as its specialized magazines including 417 Biz.

Surrounding areas are served by their own newspapers as well, Christian County communities are served by Headliner News,[11] Marshfield by The Marshfield Mail,[12] and Bolivar by the Herald Free-Press.[13]

Television stations in the Springfield metro area include:

• KYTV channel 3, NBC
• KOLR channel 10, CBS
• KYCW channel 15, The CW
• KOZK channel 21, PBS
• KOZL channel 27, MyNetworkTV
• KSPR channel 33, ABC
• KRBK channel 49, Fox

Central High School in Springfield

Springfield Public Schools is the largest fully accredited school district in the State of Missouri with nearly 25,000 students and a graduation rate of roughly 88%.[14] Nixa Public Schools, located just south of Springfield, is a growing district of 6,000 students that frequently ranks above the national average in ACT scores and has for the last ten years earned the highest state recognition for academic achievement given in Missouri.[15] Other growing districts in the area are located in the cities of Ozark, Republic, Strafford, and Marshfield. Private schools in the area include the Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield, located on the Missouri State campus, and the Summit Preparatory School, located near James River Freeway in Chesterfield Village.

Meyer Library at Missouri State University Campus

There are also several private religious schools in the area, including Springfield Catholic and Springfield Lutheran.[16]

Missouri State University in Springfield is the second largest university in the state with roughly 23,697 in 2019. Other universities in Springfield include Drury University, a private liberal arts college with more than 1,000 students, and OTC with approximately 11,000 students, where students can earn a one-year certificate or a two-year associate degree.

• I-44 – East to St. Louis and west to Tulsa
• US 60 – East to Louisville and west to Monett
• US 65 – South to Little Rock and north to Des Moines
• US 160 – West to Wichita
• Route 13 – North to Kansas City
• Route 14 – Between Nixa and Ozark
• Route 125 – Between Strafford and Rogersville

Allegiant Air flight departing from Springfield

The area is served by Springfield-Branson National Airport which has direct flights on Delta, United, American and Allegiant to thirteen cities across the United States, including hubs such as Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte and Houston, among others. With over one million passengers per year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,[17] it is one of the fastest growing airports of its size in the country.[18] A new terminal was opened at the airport in 2007 with 10 gates, expandable to 60, and runways can accommodate the Boeing 747 and large military aircraft.

Springfield has a secondary, smaller airport, Downtown Airport which is not served by any passenger airlines and is used mostly by smaller general aviation airplanes.

Public transportation in the metropolitan area is focused primarily in Springfield. City Utilities of Springfield operates Springfield Transit Services, operating many buses on several different routes throughout the city, and bus service is available 365 days per year with less frequent weekend, holiday and evening routes.

The area has a growing number of Greenway trails, 70 miles (112 km) run through parks and green areas, while 81 miles (130 km) are located on city streets.[19] Such routes include The Link, which runs on local roads through the city of Springfield, and the Trail of Tears Link, while the Frisco Link connects Springfield with Bolivar to the north.