College Station-Bryan Jonesboro

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from College Station-Bryan to Jonesboro is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 91.0 to 85.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $146/mo.

-$6,779
BLS median salary lower in Jonesboro
395 to 580
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.7:1 to 13.6:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 91.0 → 85.9
Rent Delta: -$146/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 5% lower cost of living
  • + $146/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $7K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 91.0 to 85.9, so each dollar covers more in Jonesboro (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $146/mo ($1,752/yr) from $1,186 in College Station-Bryan to $1,040 in Jonesboro.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Jonesboro sits #74 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). College Station-Bryan is #95/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,779 lower ($62,191 → $55,412). Labor-market size: 118,500 tracked jobs at origin vs 55,350 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Arkansas scores 74 (B, #6/51) vs Texas at 65 (C, #19/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
College Station-Bryan
Jonesboro
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 91.0
RPP 85.9
Jonesboro
Rent (2BR)
$1,186/mo
$1,040/mo
Jonesboro
Wages
$62,191
$55,412
College Station-Bryan
Crime
395 per 100K
580 per 100K
College Station-Bryan
Schools
14.7:1
13.6:1
Jonesboro
Childcare
$7,566/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
35693 violations
5952 violations
Jonesboro

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44
Destination state · Arkansas
74 B #6/51
Income tax
75
Property tax
78
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
68

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in College Station-Bryan to see what you'd need to earn in Jonesboro to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Jonesboro
-

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026