Jobs, pay and daily life in Joplin, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Joplin is a city in Missouri with 52,593 residents. The median household earns $52,097 a year and the median rent is $962 a month, which is 22.2% of the median household income. It is part of the Joplin, MO-KS metropolitan area, where BLS counts 87,190 jobs.
How Joplin compares. Among the 80 largest places in Missouri, Joplin is #12 by population, #65 for household income (#1 = highest), #63 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #27 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Jasper County, is #24 of 115 counties for average pay ($50,009).
Joplin has 52,593 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.8% of the population of Missouri. It covers 38 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,381 people per square mile. The median age is 38.5, about the same as the state median (38.5 against 39.0).
The median gross rent is $962 a month (rent plus utilities), 7% below the state median ($962 against $1,033). Over a year that is 22.2% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $168,300, which is 3.2 times the median household income ($52,097); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 53.4% of households own their home, 22% below the state average (53.4% against 68.1%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Joplin, MO-KS metropolitan area has 87,190 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $44,980 a year, 12% below the national median ($44,980 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are transportation and material moving (10,990 jobs, median $44,290); production (10,190 jobs, median $45,910); office and administrative support (8,940 jobs, median $40,930). The area is most specialised in production (2.1 times) and transportation and material moving (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($78,700) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($71,870). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Jasper County was 3.2%. 60.8% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Jasper County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 77.1% drive alone, 0.3% use public transit, 2.9% walk, 10.1% work from home. 6.6% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 43% below the state average (6.6% against 11.5%).
26.6% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 18% below the state share (26.6% against 32.4%). 3.9% of residents were born outside the United States, 12% below the state share (3.9% against 4.5%). The poverty rate is 16.9%, 34% above the state rate (16.9% against 12.6%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 80°F (26.9°C), and the coolest is Jan at 33°F (0.3°C). About 1,174 mm (46 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (170 mm) and Jan the driest (56 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Webb City (5 miles, rent 5% higher); Carthage (11 miles, similar rent); Neosho (17 miles, rent 23% lower); Miami (24 miles, rent 13% lower). Rent differences are against Joplin; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Missouri (988) →State guide: MissouriCountry guideJasper CountyMissouri rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 988 federal postings open in Missouri (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Missouri →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 3,470 | 3.00 | $47,430 | $39,350 | $72,000 | -19% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,670 | 1.41 | $74,930 | $62,450 | $94,110 | -23% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,620 | 1.65 | $35,460 | $29,100 | $50,200 | -5% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,420 | 1.11 | $30,740 | $28,600 | $43,400 | -13% |
| Cashiers | 2,400 | 1.38 | $29,050 | $28,600 | $34,960 | -12% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,050 | 0.85 | $34,800 | $28,660 | $45,270 | -3% |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 2,030 | 5.65 | $28,600 | $28,600 | $33,140 | -7% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,720 | 1.04 | $39,400 | $30,010 | $54,200 | -2% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,460 | 1.06 | $38,170 | $28,600 | $57,510 | -15% |
| Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 1,280 | 6.03 | $47,040 | $40,300 | $59,960 | +9% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,220 | 0.96 | $28,600 | $28,600 | $58,800 | -19% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,180 | 1.46 | $34,600 | $31,080 | $40,550 | -18% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,160 | 0.94 | $34,620 | $28,600 | $47,210 | -6% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,150 | 1.46 | $40,990 | $31,110 | $64,850 | -8% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,130 | 0.52 | $28,730 | $27,270 | $33,920 | -8% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,100 | 1.41 | $48,770 | $40,050 | $68,690 | -24% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,080 | 0.74 | $41,850 | $29,690 | $62,070 | -7% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,020 | 1.19 | $48,740 | $33,720 | $77,360 | -2% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 990 | 1.04 | $38,540 | $29,420 | $55,850 | -19% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 800 | 1.00 | $35,050 | $28,600 | $45,380 | -5% |
These figures are for the whole Joplin, MO-KS metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $44,980 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.3% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 25.1% |
| Retail trade | 15.3% |
| Manufacturing | 11.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 10.7% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 8.7% |
| Other services | 5.8% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.6% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.7% |
| Construction | 4.4% |
| Public administration | 3.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.4% |
| Information | 2.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.7% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county (the first of several) where Joplin lies and cover the whole county, not only the city. The city also extends into Newton County.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County | 124,357 | $7,433 million | $59,767 | 59,244 | 3,502 | $50,009 | +1.1% | 3.2% | 62,289 |
| Newton County | 60,118 | $3,082 million | $51,262 | 21,297 | 1,508 | $53,349 | +0.3% | 3.2% | 28,469 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 10,789 | 20.5% | $60,713 | 2.22 |
| Health care and social assistance | 8,159 | 15.5% | $51,575 | 0.96 |
| Retail trade | 7,650 | 14.5% | $33,700 | 1.29 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 5,827 | 11.1% | $53,816 | 2.32 |
| Accommodation and food services | 5,283 | 10.0% | $22,105 | 0.98 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,538 | 4.8% | $62,212 | 1.09 |
| Construction | 2,394 | 4.5% | $69,900 | 0.77 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,959 | 3.7% | $39,310 | 0.56 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,679 | 3.2% | $38,914 | 0.94 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,542 | 2.9% | $69,140 | 0.37 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,090 | 2.1% | $67,606 | 0.45 |
| Management of companies | 1,064 | 2.0% | $119,632 | 1.07 |
| Real estate and rental | 555 | 1.1% | $44,618 | 0.60 |
| Educational services | 496 | 0.9% | $52,372 | 0.40 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 491 | 0.9% | $17,174 | 0.49 |
| Information | 438 | 0.8% | $56,796 | 0.39 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 352 | 0.7% | $46,523 | 0.73 |
| Utilities | 220 | 0.4% | $81,402 | 0.98 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 100 | 0.2% | $64,950 | 0.45 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 77.1% |
| Public transit | 0.3% |
| Walk | 2.9% |
| Work from home | 10.1% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 6.6% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,097 |
| Income per person | $32,024 |
| Median gross rent per month | $962 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 22.2% |
| Median home value | $168,300 |
| Homeowners | 53.4% |
| Poverty rate | 16.9% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 85.7 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $44,980 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 4.70%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 38.5 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 91.0% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 26.6% |
| Born abroad | 3.9% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 60.8% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.3 | 33 | 56 |
| Feb | 2.4 | 36 | 58 |
| Mar | 8.4 | 47 | 98 |
| Apr | 13.9 | 57 | 128 |
| May | 18.9 | 66 | 170 |
| Jun | 24.0 | 75 | 126 |
| Jul | 26.9 | 80 | 98 |
| Aug | 26.4 | 80 | 103 |
| Sep | 21.7 | 71 | 97 |
| Oct | 14.4 | 58 | 105 |
| Nov | 8.0 | 46 | 72 |
| Dec | 2.2 | 36 | 63 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webb City | MO | 5 mi | 13,221 | $65,469 | $1,008 |
| Carthage | MO | 11 mi | 15,574 | $51,328 | $975 |
| Neosho | MO | 17 mi | 13,224 | $57,891 | $745 |
| Miami | OK | 24 mi | 12,926 | $46,410 | $835 |
| Pittsburg | KS | 26 mi | 20,637 | $43,419 | $854 |
| Bella Vista | AR | 44 mi | 31,697 | $88,055 | $1,395 |
| Parsons | KS | 46 mi | 9,425 | $52,428 | $774 |
| Pea Ridge | AR | 48 mi | 8,108 | $95,521 | $1,818 |
| Centerton | AR | 51 mi | 21,920 | $115,713 | $1,465 |
| Bentonville | AR | 52 mi | 58,249 | $112,792 | $1,344 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
52,593 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$962 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 22.2% of the median household income.
$52,097 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.2% (BLS county, Jasper County (latest month 2026M09)).
Missouri. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.