Sioux City Jonesboro

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Sioux City to Jonesboro is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 86.5 to 85.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $114/mo.

-$6,320
BLS median salary lower in Jonesboro
238 to 580
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.8:1 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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 86.5 → 85.9
Rent Delta: -$114/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $114/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - $6K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 86.5 to 85.9 (ratio 0.99), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $114/mo ($1,368/yr) from $1,154 in Sioux City to $1,040 in Jonesboro.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Jonesboro sits #74 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Sioux City is #76/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,320 lower ($61,732 → $55,412). Labor-market size: 69,160 tracked jobs at origin vs 55,350 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Iowa 70 (B, #8/51) vs Arkansas 74 (B, #6/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Sioux City
Jonesboro
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 86.5
RPP 85.9
Jonesboro
Rent (2BR)
$1,154/mo
$1,040/mo
Jonesboro
Wages
$61,732
$55,412
Sioux City
Crime
238 per 100K
580 per 100K
Sioux City
Schools
14.8:1
13.6:1
Jonesboro
Childcare
$8,306/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
742 violations
5952 violations
Sioux City

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 · Iowa
70 B #8/51
Income tax
85
Property tax
58
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
42
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 Sioux City to see what you'd need to earn in Jonesboro to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Jonesboro
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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