What is the cost of living in Jackson?

Jackson has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 91.8, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 67.1, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,165/month.

What is the median salary in Jackson?

The median salary in Jackson is $63,665 annually (mean: $66,764). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Cashiers, Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators.

The violent crime rate in the Jackson area is 431 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1395 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Jackson?

The state of MI has 3,399 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.5:1. Charter schools make up 10.9% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Jackson?

Infant center-based childcare in the Jackson area averages $7,444 per year. Preschool averages $7,221/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Jackson a good place to relocate?

Jackson has a Life Score of 53/100 (D), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Jackson sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Jackson ranks #224 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Jackson, MI

BEA RPP 91.8 sits mid-pack (#139 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

91.8
Cost index (US=100): $1,165
2BR rent / mo: $63,665
Median salary: 49.3
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Jackson ranks #224 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (49.3/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and housing.

#224
of 387 US metros · Near median: 10,140,459
metro-area population: 431
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 3,399
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (17/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Jackson ranks #224 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 91.8 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,165/mo, median salary $63,665; LiveAbility Score 49.3/100, strongest in low hazard and housing.

Signature: BEA RPP 91.8 sits mid-pack (#139 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 91.8 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,165/mo.

LiveAbility 49.3/100 keeps Jackson in the middle third (#224 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Jackson area is 47,640.

Jackson vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

49 Top 58% higher than 42% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Jackson housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Jackson MSA; housing RPP 67.1 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,165/mo.

Studio

$838

/month

1 Bedroom

$946

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,165

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,534

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,626

/month

Jackson wages and employment

Jackson posts 47,640 total employment with median salary $63,665.

Median Salary

$63,665

Mean Salary

$66,764

Total Employment

47,640

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$34,180
Cashiers	$29,370
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$40,700
Retail Salespersons	$34,770
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$27,390

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Jackson area from NCES.

Schools

3,399

Enrollment

1,376,868

Student:Teacher

17.5:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Jackson area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$7,444

per year

Toddler (Center)

$7,636

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,221

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Jackson's composite Life Score is 53/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

64/100

Above average

Wages

49/100

Average

Rent

71/100

Strong

Crime

19/100

Bottom decile

Schools

77/100

Strong

Childcare

81/100

Elite

Environment

10/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Jackson ranks #224 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 49.3/100 - a composite of 7 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized). Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (83/100)

Low hazard

83
Housing

71
Cost of living

64
Job market

49
Schools

23
Safety

19
Climate

17

What this shows Jackson's strongest dimensions are low hazard and housing; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 17/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%; this metro uses 7 of 8 dims with renormalized weights.

Compare Jackson to

Kingston Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh Knoxville Kokomo La Crosse-Onalaska Lafayette

Metros near Jackson on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Jackson on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Jackson cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Jackson wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Jackson?

Jackson runs a $63,665 median salary at a 91.8 cost index, ranking #224 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Jackson's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Jackson head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Jackson
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.