What is the cost of living in Jackson?

Jackson has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 85.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 56.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,260/month.

What is the median salary in Jackson?

The median salary in Jackson is $58,189 annually (mean: $60,964). Top occupations include Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers.

The violent crime rate in the Jackson area is 602 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 2058 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Jackson?

The state of TN has 1,844 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.3:1. Charter schools make up 6.2% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Jackson?

Infant center-based childcare in the Jackson area averages $7,860 per year. Preschool averages $6,190/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Jackson a good place to relocate?

Jackson has a Life Score of 45/100 (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 #175 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, TN

BEA RPP 85.5 ranks #11 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

85.5
Cost index (US=100): $1,260
2BR rent / mo: $58,189
Median salary: 52.5
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Jackson ranks #175 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (52.5/100), with its strongest marks in cost of living and air quality.

#175
of 387 US metros · Above median: 7,227,750
metro-area population: 602
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,844
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: safety (3/100). 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 #175 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 85.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,260/mo, median salary $58,189; LiveAbility Score 52.5/100, strongest in cost of living and air quality.

Signature: BEA RPP 85.5 ranks #11 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 85.5 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,260/mo.

LiveAbility 52.5/100 keeps Jackson in the middle third (#175 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Jackson area is 78,140.

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)

53 Top 45% higher than 55% 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 56.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,260/mo.

Studio

$869

/month

1 Bedroom

$960

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,260

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,677

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,758

/month

Jackson wages and employment

Jackson posts 78,140 total employment with median salary $58,189 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$58,189

Mean Salary

$60,964

Total Employment

78,140

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$36,710
Retail Salespersons	$30,990
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$26,360
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$31,120
Registered Nurses	$75,610

Schools & Education

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

Schools

1,844

Enrollment

994,264

Student:Teacher

15.3:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

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

Infant (Center)

$7,860

per year

Toddler (Center)

$6,190

per year

Preschool (Center)

$6,190

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Jackson's composite Life Score is 45/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

97/100

Elite

Wages

14/100

Bottom decile

Rent

56/100

Above average

Crime

3/100

Bottom decile

Schools

51/100

Average

Childcare

68/100

Strong

Environment

20/100

Weak

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Jackson ranks #175 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 52.5/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Cost of living (97/100)

Cost of living

97
Air quality

93
Climate

62
Housing

56
Schools

50
Low hazard

39
Job market

14
Safety

3

What this shows Jackson's strongest dimensions are cost of living and air quality; its weakest among scored dims is safety at 3/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Jackson to

Prescott Valley-Prescott Providence-Warwick Provo-Orem-Lehi Pueblo Punta Gorda Racine-Mount Pleasant

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 $58,189 median salary at a 85.5 cost index, ranking #175 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.