Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Jonesboro

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to Jonesboro is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 113.6 to 85.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $1,561/mo.

-$26,864
BLS median salary lower in Jonesboro
477 to 580
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
21.5:1 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: 113.6 → 85.9
Rent Delta: -$1,561/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 28% lower cost of living
  • + $1561/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $27K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 113.6 to 85.9, so each dollar covers more in Jonesboro (ratio 0.76). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $1,561/mo ($18,732/yr) from $2,601 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 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). Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim is #383/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $26,864 lower ($82,276 → $55,412). Labor-market size: 6,167,970 tracked jobs at origin vs 55,350 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Arkansas scores 74 (B, #6/51) vs California at 40 (F, #50/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Jonesboro
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 113.6
RPP 85.9
Jonesboro
Rent (2BR)
$2,601/mo
$1,040/mo
Jonesboro
Wages
$82,276
$55,412
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Crime
477 per 100K
580 per 100K
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Schools
21.5:1
13.6:1
Jonesboro
Childcare
$17,920/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
17705 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 · California
40 F #50/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
72
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
4
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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 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