What is the cost of living in Joplin?

Joplin has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 85.7, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 54.0, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $877/month.

What is the median salary in Joplin?

The median salary in Joplin is $57,697 annually (mean: $61,593). Top occupations include Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Registered Nurses, Stockers and Order Fillers.

The violent crime rate in the Joplin area is 463 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1972 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Joplin?

The state of MO has 2,321 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 12.8:1. Charter schools make up 3.5% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Joplin?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Joplin.

Is Joplin a good place to relocate?

Joplin has a Life Score of 54.5/100 (D), based on 6 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 Joplin sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Joplin ranks #32 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

Joplin, MO-KS

BEA RPP 85.7 ranks #14 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

85.7
Cost index (US=100): $877
2BR rent / mo: $57,697
Median salary: 62.5
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Joplin ranks #32 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (62.5/100), with its strongest marks in housing and cost of living.

#32
of 387 US metros · Excellent: 6,245,466
metro-area population: 463
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,321
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: safety (15/100). 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), Joplin ranks #32 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 85.7 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $877/mo, median salary $57,697; LiveAbility Score 62.5/100, strongest in housing and cost of living.

Signature: BEA RPP 85.7 ranks #14 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 85.7 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $877/mo.

LiveAbility 62.5/100 puts Joplin in the top third (#32 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Joplin area is 77,720.

Joplin 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)

63 Top 8% higher than 92% 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

Joplin housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Joplin MSA; housing RPP 54.0 (100 = national average); 2BR $877/mo.

Studio

$664

/month

1 Bedroom

$668

/month

2 Bedroom

$877

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,157

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,161

/month

Joplin wages and employment

Joplin posts 77,720 total employment with median salary $57,697 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$57,697

Mean Salary

$61,593

Total Employment

77,720

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$47,430
Registered Nurses	$74,930
Stockers and Order Fillers	$35,460
Retail Salespersons	$30,740
Cashiers	$29,050

Schools & Education

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

Schools

2,321

Enrollment

887,264

Student:Teacher

12.8:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Joplin's composite Life Score is 54.5/100 (D), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

97/100

Elite

Wages

22/100

Weak

Rent

99/100

Elite

Crime

15/100

Bottom decile

Schools

12/100

Bottom decile

Environment

71/100

Strong

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Joplin ranks #32 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 62.5/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Housing (100/100)

Housing

100
Cost of living

97
Schools

88
Climate

77
Air quality

66
Job market

22
Low hazard

19
Safety

15

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

Compare Joplin to

Hot Springs Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Huntington-Ashland Huntsville Idaho Falls

Metros near Joplin on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Joplin 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

Joplin cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Joplin 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 Joplin?

Joplin runs a $57,697 median salary at a 85.7 cost index, ranking #32 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Joplin's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Joplin head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Joplin
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.