Jackson composite
54.8 /100
Grade B · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Jackson vs Memphis
Jackson, MS and Memphis, TN-MS-AR side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 54.8
- Jackson Life Score
- B
- Jackson grade
- 47.4
- Memphis Life Score
- C+
- Memphis grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Jackson scores higher on 3 (cost of living, safety, childcare) and Memphis on 4 (wages, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Jackson vs Memphis across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Jackson Memphis ◗
cost of living
80
61
wages
11
46
rent
51
53
safety
89
2
schools
14
52
childcare
98
67
environment
43
58
Jackson and Memphis differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Jackson has a cost-of-living index of 89.0 vs Memphis's 92.2 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $57,904 in Jackson and $65,102 in Memphis. A 2-bedroom averages $1,288/mo vs $1,274/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Jackson vs Memphis Comparison
Jackson (MS) and Memphis (TN) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 89.0 for Jackson against 92.2 for Memphis, a 3.1-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,288/mo in Jackson and $1,274/mo in Memphis, a $14/mo difference that compounds to $168 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $57,904 across 261,190 jobs in Jackson against $65,102 across 597,090 jobs in Memphis. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Jackson carries the same local purchasing power as $103,516 in Memphis - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 142.7 per 100,000 residents in MS vs 601.6 in TN, with property-crime rates of 952.6 and 2057.9 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: MS lists 877 public schools at a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio, while TN lists 1,844 schools at 15.3:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $6,498/yr in the Jackson area versus $7,860/yr in Memphis - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Jackson and Memphis are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Memphis composite
47.4 /100
Grade C+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
-3.1 pts
Jackson vs Memphis BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$14 /mo
Jackson priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Jackson
Jackson composite (Grade B)
Memphis
Memphis composite (Grade C+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Jackson | Memphis |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 89.0 | 92.2 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 96.2 |
| Services | 78.1 | 74.1 |
| Rents | 64.8 | 79.8 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Memphis gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Jackson?
$
Equivalent in Memphis:
$103,516
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Jackson: 89.0, Memphis: 92.2, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Jackson | Memphis |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,091/mo | $1,060/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,097/mo | $1,154/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,288/mo | $1,274/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,544/mo | $1,683/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,705/mo | $1,959/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Jackson | Memphis |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $57,904 | $65,102 |
| Total Employment | 261,190 | 597,090 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Jackson (MS) | Memphis (TN) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 142.7 | 601.6 |
| Property Crime | 952.6 | 2057.9 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | MS | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 877 | 1,844 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 13.3:1 | 15.3:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.9% | 6.2% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | MS | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $6,498/yr | $7,860/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $5,956/yr | $6,190/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $5,804/yr | $6,190/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | MS | TN |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 383 | 740 |
| Water Systems | 990 | 453 |
| Superfund Sites | 14 | 26 |
| Water Violations | 1,850 | 1,091 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Jackson | Memphis |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 48.0 | 56.0 |
| Good Air Days | 55.5% | 32.2% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 11 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | MS | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 5/100 | 8/100 |
| Total Violations | 499,292 | 43,318 |
| Health-Based Violations | 10,292 | 9,414 |
| Systems with Violations | 96.1% | 94.0% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | MS | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 386 | 380 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | MS | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 62/100 | 60/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 50.9 | 52.5 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 42.8 | 49.3 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jackson more expensive than Memphis? ▼
Jackson has a cost of living index of 89.0 compared to Memphis's 92.2 (national average = 100). Memphis is 3.1 points above Jackson on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Jackson and Memphis? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,288/mo in Jackson vs $1,274/mo in Memphis, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $1,091/mo to $1,060/mo.
How do salaries compare between Jackson and Memphis? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $57,904 in Jackson and $65,102 in Memphis, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Jackson has the same purchasing power as $103,516 in Memphis.
Is Jackson or Memphis safer? ▼
At the state level, MS has a violent crime rate of 142.7 per 100,000 residents compared to TN's 601.6 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 952.6 vs 2057.9 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Jackson and Memphis? ▼
MS has 877 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.3:1, while TN has 1,844 schools at 15.3:1. Charter schools make up 0.9% of MS schools vs 6.2% in TN. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial