Should I Move To
Roughly 51,848 people live in Joplin, Missouri. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 23% below the national average. Median rent runs about $873/mo; the typical household pulls in $50,996. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 61/100 — a C+, putting it at #126 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Joplin sits at 77 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($873/mo against $50,996 median household income), housing eats roughly 21% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $147,000.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 92°F in summer, 30°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 41 inches. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. AQI runs about 46 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Joplin is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 64/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is affordability (100/100); the soft spot is education (26/100).
For retirees, Joplin is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 73/100 — a B. Its standout dimension is affordability (100/100); the soft spot is education (26/100).
For remote workers, Joplin is one of the stronger US options. The profile-weighted score is 79/100 — a B+. Its standout dimension is affordability (100/100); the soft spot is education (26/100).
For young professionals, Joplin is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 57/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is affordability (100/100); the soft spot is education (26/100).
Our overall score for Joplin is 61/100 — a C+, sitting at #126 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Joplin sits at 77 — very affordable, 23% below the national average. Median renter pays around $873 a month.
Joplin runs four-season on the weather. Summer's near 92°F, winter's near 30°F; 41 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 57/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 51,848 people live here, with 26% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 36.
Drop Joplin into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Joplin with other Missouri cities scored on UrbRank.
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